Chapter 25

A/N

13 May 2013 -

FF net's email alert was not working over the weekend so I will try to repost this. Plus, a slight change for the green item =) I hope that this will not delete the reviews that JCBoLt and ElphabasKillJoy124 had posted for this chapter.

xxxxxxx

Thank you for the reviews.

BookWorm741, Elphie pissed? She is more of the agony type IMO…

ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, thank you for loving this chapter! =)

JCBoLt, no, Fiyero did not sneer at the lieutenant (I didn't imagine him sneering). He was just angry, because the Lieutenant tagged Elphie as a monster just because she had green skin, but in Fiyero's opinion, the Lieutenant himself was the monster because he was cruel and heartless. Watch out for a little green item in this chapter. It will appear again in part 2 =)

Elphaba-WWW, the dragon idea was inspired by both the book. Now you know why I had to draft the whole storyline before I started publishing, because there is simply too many references to and fro for this fic.

To you-know-who, I hope you are feeling better now.

Sorry for forgetting, but thank you for the alerts and favourites for the past 2 chapters. =)

I am splitting chapter 25 into two parts due to several reasons, one of them being that it had become too long (more than 5000 words).

Fiyero lumbered, his arm drapped across Galinda's shoulder while she supported him around his waist. The black cloak that she was wearing was now on his back, covering his injuries. He was tired. He had not eaten much for the past few days and his leg hurt. His vision blurred, and he stumbled, nearly pulling the petite girl down with him. It was as if whatever strength he had in him left the moment Elphaba disappeared from his sight. Pip looked at him, and without a word, hailed a carriage that passed by. To hell with keeping a low profile. He was not going to let his friend collapsed on the streets after all the effort that they had gone through to rescue him.

The carriage dropped them a short distance away from the house that they were staying in. Pip carried Nessarose into one of the bedrooms and left the room, giving the girls the privacy that they needed. Galinda changed Nessarose into one of her clothes and wiped the girl with a wet towel. She then took a brush and combed the kinks out of her dark brown hair, giving short encouraging remarks once in a while. The younger girl looked tired, but there was no other physical injury on her beside a few scratches here and there, and Galinda gave a silent thank to Lurline.

In the other room, Fiyero stripped off his clothing, and staggered to the bathroom for a bath. He hissed in pain when he lowered himself into the water and felt the stinging sensation on the open wounds. There was pain everywhere – his face, his chest, his back, his legs. Every breath he took hurt and he suspected that the Gale Force had broken at least one rib. He thought wryly that perhaps this is how an Arjiki warrior felt after he had wrestled with a lion in the Thousand Year Grasslands. When he came out from the bath, his dirty clothes were gone and there was some bread and a bathrobe lying on the bed. He put on the robe, wincing when the cotton fabric came into contact with his injuries. He finished the bread, and climbed onto the bed with the intention to rest, but soon moved into a position that hurt the least and fell asleep.

He had no idea how long he slept, but a sudden clanging sound woke him up. He looked around groggily. The rays of the setting sun shone into the room, telling him that it was twilight. He listened for more sound, but all he heard was silence. He stood up. There was this empty feeling, as if he was only living thing in the whole house. An irrational fear gripped him, causing his heart to beat faster. Maybe they had left. Maybe they have decided that he was too much of a burden with his injuries and had decided to abandon him and move on. Or maybe the Gale Force had broken into the house when he was asleep and grabbed the others.

An image came unbidden into his mind. Elphaba was lying on the floor of a cell, similar to the one that he was in. A pair of arms pinned her down to prevent her from escaping. Kneeling in front of her was the Lieutenant, his newly grown wings extended fully, as he raised a dagger high in the air. He plugged the dagger deep into her heart and she screamed in pain, her screams reverberating throughout the dungeon. The Lieutenant laughed maniacally, calling her an aberration before he pulled out the weapon and plunged it into her body again. Elphaba's struggles became weaker as he continued to stab her, until she no longer moved. And still the Lieutenant did not stop, as he vented his hatred for her until she was nothing but a messy tangle blood stained green ribbons.

No, please, no.

"Elphaba?" he called her name. The sudden use of his vocal box triggered a coughing fit, and he bent over, his hand clutching his chest as he tried to lessen the sharp pain that shot across his ribcage. And then he heard the sound of running footsteps before he felt the familiar touch of her hand rubbing his back. He lifted his head and saw her through his tears-filled eyes, worry etched on her face. She was here, she was alive. Fiyero would have shouted with joy if he was not busy trying to catch his breath.

"I'm fine," he told her hoarsely when the fit was over.

"I'm sorry," she said, "this is all my fault."

"Your fault?"

"It was me that the Wizard wanted. It's my fault that Nessa and you had to endure so much for the past few days…" she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face on his neck.

Fiyero kissed her hair.

He wanted to tell her that it was not her fault. It was not her fault that the Wizard wanted to grow wings on monkeys and called for their arrests. But he kept quiet and held her as much as he could. She tightened her hug, and he gave a soft hiss as the pain shot through his chest again.

"Not so hard," he told her.

She released her arms and looked at him.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, and then shook her head when she realised what a stupid question it was.

"I can't say it doesn't," he admitted.

Her eyes widened, and she untied the belt of the bathrobe and parted the robe, giving a hiss of her own when she saw the bruises on his torso and legs.

She stared at his body for a long time and Fiyero started to feel embarrassed for no reason.

"Don't," he said as he wrapped the bathrobe around himself again.

She looked at him again, and Fiyero could see the pain in her eyes. She was so easy to read. She had never hid her feelings from him ever since they were together, except for that short period when she wanted to leave him. He knew that she blamed herself for what happened. She blamed herself all the pain that Nessarose and him had gone through, even though she was not the one who had abused them during their stay. And she would believe that no matter what he said.

She lifted her hand in the air, inches from his face, and paused. Fiyero could almost see her brain ticking as she tried to search for something in his eyes. She then stepped up to him and gently held his face with her hands.

"Please forgive me…."

He felt her lips on his, kissing him gently, tentatively, as if he was a delicate piece of chinaware to be handled with care. He felt the warmth of her skin through the haze of pain as she slid her hand into the robe and rested it lightly on his chest, her fingers spread across his bruised skin. He kissed her back with his eyes closed and placed his hands on her hips, wanting to touch her, yet not wanting her flushed against him as the slight pressure of her body would trigger the pain from his injuries. He felt her ran her other hand in his tousled hair, pressing his head towards her, and he parted her lips with his. The haze and the numbness seemed to clear. It was as if her touch, her kiss, her presence, could take away the pain of the injuries, could make his breathing soother. His hands moved on their accord to her back and he pressed her as close to him as the baby allowed. Elphaba tightened her arms around him, and all he could feel was her embrace, her lips, and the chill that radiated from her skin.

No!

Fiyero tried to push her away. He wanted to break the physical contact between the two of them . But stopped when he saw how pale she was. She smiled at him, a weak smile, and then wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly.

He did not need to ask why. He knew why she did it. And damn it, she had distracted him because she knew that he would never agree to this. At that moment, he hated her, hated her stubbornness, her self-sacrificial thinking and her tactics. And yet he loved her. Loved her truly and deeply, loved her more than anything in the world. Loved her always. And he knew beyond a doubt that she loved him as much, or even more.

He pulled her to him and held her tightly, now that the worst of the pain was gone. "You silly girl. You shouldn't have done this," he whispered as he rubbed her arms with his hands, trying to banish the cold and make her warm again.

"Your injuries will delay us," she lied emotionlessly, and then said no more. And all he could feel was the shallow rising of her chest as she leaned against him.

"Elphaba?" There was a voice at the door. He looked up and saw Pip.

"Yes?" He asked as Elphaba turned and looked at the newcomer.

"You're back," she whispered.

Pip nodded. "And I managed to get the horse and the wagon," he told her.

"Horse and wagon?" Fiyero asked.

Pip looked at his friend sharply. Before this, Fiyero's eyes had been bloodshot, his voice weary. But now his eyes were clear and his voice strong. Pip noticed that he was no longer slouching, and the colour had come back to his face. It was not something that a long bath could do. And then he noticed the grey, worn-out look on Elphaba's face, and how frail she looked as she leaned against the prince, his arms wrapped around her protectively. Pip knew that something important had happened, but he was unable to figure out what.

"We're leaving the Emerald City tonight," Elphaba told Fiyero.

"We had a discussion just now while you were sleeping. We will cross the border to Vinkus as soon as possible," Pip added. "The Gale Force had no right to arrest us once we crossed over to Vinkus,"

"There is also nothing to stop them from crossing the border and coming after us since there is no petrol around that area," he pointed out the flaw.

"They'll be busy," Elphaba told him, a slight smirk on her face.

He looked at her.

"Let's just say that they have more important matters to attend to." She refused to say more.

Fiyero looked at Pip for answers, but the Gillikinese just shrugged.

They went downstairs, where Nessarose was seated, a half-eaten sandwich in her hand. In front of her was a small but growing pile of items.

"Fiyero," she greeted the prince with a wan smile, and Fiyero could not help but noted that her tone towards him was more cordial. At least something good came out of the prison stay.

Galinda came out from the kitchen, and added a few bowls into the midst, making a sharp clanging sound as the bowl hit the other items on the pile, a sound similar to the one that had woken him earlier.

Elphaba wanted to follow the blonde to the kitchen, but Fiyero stopped her.

"You'll sit, and I will help Galinda," he commanded as he made her sit next to her sister.

Nessarose took in Elphaba's pale face, and frowned, perplexed.

They went around the house and stripped it bare. Food, blankets, clothes, lamps, and whatever that they would need for their long journey. Knives too, for protection.

The plan was to leave by the main gate of the Emerald City just before closing time. The night would be dark and the soldiers would be tired after a whole day's work.

"I got a cloaking spell that will make us less noticeable," she told them.

"You are going to make us invisible?" Pip asked.

"No. Just less noticeable. More ordinary."

"You're too tired for any more spell," Fiyero insisted. "Can't Galinda help?"

The petite girl nodded her head vigorously. "I've learnt this before," she said.

Pip finally understood what Elphaba meant when they went out the main gate moments before the gate closed for the night. The guards questioned him, and he gave some vague answer about escaping the unrest with his family. One guard held the reins of the horse, while another went to check out his 'family' at the back of the covered wagon.

Galinda gasped when the guard poked his head in and she let go of her spell. But the guard did not seem to notice anything amiss, and went back to Pip, waving them through. She wondered about their good luck, and glanced at Elphaba. It was only then that she noticed the grim look on her friend's face, her lips pressed into a thin line as she concentrated on keeping spell intact.

They turned west once they left Emerald City and crossed over the border to Vinkus that night. It was wilderness and untamed region. Everyone was on alert. There was no telling if the diversion that Elphaba had predicted would work or if the Gale Force would follow them across the border and arrest them.

The journey took many days. During the day, they would find a place to hide and rest. During the night, they would travel in the dark, with Fiyero or Pip up front, and one other person as company.

Fiyero had travelled the route twice on his own. The first time was a dare with some friends, to see if he could traverse the area on his own without a horse or carriage. The other time was, well, he was just plain bored. He supposed they were lucky. They could have strayed off course and gotten lost within the first two days without his prior experience. He hoped that any soldiers who attempted to follow them would stray off course and died a dreadful death.

Nessarose was always at the back, accompanied by either Galinda or Elphaba. On the surface, she seemed to have emerged unscathed from her stay in the prison. But when she was asleep, she would talk and cry in her sleep. It was always the same dream, but a different dream. She would be back in the cell, alone, or with Fiyero. And the Lieutenant would be there, a smirk on his face as he put his hands on her. Or it would be some faceless man, or men, touching her the way she did not want. Or the cell door would open and they would let Fiyero go, leaving her alone in the cell. The lights would go out, plunging her into darkness and the rats would come out and bite her skin, their vicious teeth refusing to let go no matter how much she tried.

She woke up screaming every single time, sobbing uncontrollably.

Elphaba started to stick close to her. She would let Nessarose leaned against her as she slept and stroked her hair, or patted her arm. The elder Thropp would whisper gently to her, or sing a song when she started to whimper in her sleep, her voice so soft that it did not carry beyond the wagon. It seemed to help, and Nessarose would drift back to sleep, another nightmare averted.

"I never know you can sing, Elphie," Galinda said once when Elphaba finished a song, cradling Nessarose as much as she could with that big tummy of hers.

"I used to sing to Nessa when she was younger. This is her favourite song, a song that my mother had sung to me when she was alive."

"That's lovely," was all Galinda could say, as she started to think of her Momsie and Popsicle. She wondered how they were doing.

That night, Galinda broke the silence as she sat next to Pip up front.

"Pip?"

"Hmmm?" her boyfriend replied, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of people, friendly or otherwise.

"Do you know what day is today?" It was past midnight.

"What day is it?"

"It's your birthday."

Pip turned and looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide.

"You're right!" he replied with a smile.

"You know, I was planning to hold a surprise party for you at Grommie's. Just the few of us. And I had gotten a present for you, but its back in my room." Galinda sniffled as she thought of the pink cuff links that she had left in her room when she went back to pack.

"Well, you still can hold surprise party for me," Pip told her, his voice surprisingly cheerful.

Galinda sat up. "Now?"

He turned and grinned at her as he pulled on the reins and stopped the horse.

Galinda turned her palms up, pretending to be supporting a birthday cake and sang a birthday song.

"Surprise, Pip," she whispered as a smile broke on her face. "Happy birthday."

Pip pretended to look surprise and blew out the imaginary candles. Galinda lifted her palms higher and he pretended to take a bite from the top of the cake.

"There's cream on your nose," she said mischievously.

Pip pretended to wipe the cream from his nose with his finger and smudged the phantom cream on Galinda's nose instead.

"Oh Pip," she giggled, and then stopped when Pip leaned forward and kissed her.

It was approaching winter, and Fiyero assumed that most of the people from the Arjiki tribe would have gone back to Kiamo Ko, which would account for their lack of presence as they moved along. They decided to start off earlier and end later each day so that they could reach their destination earlier. Fiyero understood that they would never make it if they did not reach Kiamo Ko before the first blizzard come. Winter in Vinkus was no child's play. Even now, the wind that came down from the Great Kells was cold and biting, chilling them to their bones no matter how many layers they wore and how close they huddled together.

Fiyero began to worry for Elphaba's health.

He looked around, and found a grey woollen cap and a green thin cape tucked in a corner of the wagon. The initials JCB was snitched on the cape. It must have belonged to the previous owner of the wagon. The green was almost the same shade as Elphaba's skin, and the material was so worn that it could break apart any moment. There were a few small holes on the fabric. He lifted it up to show her. She shook her head but he plopped the cap on her head, while he tied the cape around him for comic effect. She did not even smile.

A/N please review! =)

JCBoLt, did I make your day? =)