Chapter Twenty-Five: Love and Duty

"How are you feeling, Fae?" He asked when he closed the door behind them.

"I'm fine, Yero. I told you. You should get some rest. Your children will be awake before you if you don't sleep soon."

He removed his shirt and lay back in the bed. "Come here. We should talk about a few things before bed."

His arms looked so inviting, and she crawled in beside him. In his embrace, she felt safe and peaceful and she cursed that feeling. Being with him couldn't be as easy as it seemed, not after everything she'd done. "What is it?"

"The war is basically over. All that's left is picking up the pieces. I don't want to be in the City for that. The wellbeing of my people is secure for now, and that's really all that matters to me. Somehow I don't think that it's the same for you."

"It's strange," she admitted. "I've spent so long dreaming of this war, wanting the man dead, and now I realize I never had any idea what would happen when it ended."

"So you don't want to stay in the City?"

"I… I don't know." She rested her head on his chest. "I don't know if they can use me."

"You'd let them? After everything?"

"It would depend."

"Don't, Fae. You've given up enough of your life, enough of yourself. You deserve a life."

"But I don't deserve one. And I never wanted one."

"I'm going to stop dancing around the question and ask you to come back with me. I want you there, Fae. I want you at Kiamo Ko. If it makes you feel better, you can keep corresponding with your people, make sure things in the Vinkus are the way they would want. You'd be married to a king, after all."

"Married?" She repeated.

He bit his lip. "I've asked you before."

"You asked me before because you thought it would save my life. And I refused."

"Are you refusing again?"

"Fiyero, your definition of marriage and mine are probably quite different."

"I think they're a lot more similar now than they were months ago. I'm not asking you to be one of several wives. I'm asking you to be my only wife. I'm asking you to come home."

"I wouldn't be good at keeping house and cooking."

"Then we'll both learn how. And the children… they could use someone…"

Elphaba was quiet for a moment. She had promised Sarima. Over a year ago, she'd killed three children in an effort to make a change. Now she had saved three others. But they needed protecting, and they needed a mother. She wasn't a mother. But she had vowed to protect and care for those children. The best way to do that was from Kiamo Ko. "That's really what you want? How will your people take it?"

"My people don't much care about the queen. The king holds all the power. I know that's terribly sexist, but we do have a tendency to be barbaric about some things."

"Our society is mostly patriarchal. Yours is no different." Being relegated to the background, to merely a role she would have to play. Could she live in such a world?

"Marry me, Elphaba. I'm absolutely serious."

On the other hand, he loved her. She wasn't stupid. A chance at love would never come again, especially not for her. She wouldn't have to bear his children – he already had them. If she ever was to play the role of wife, the role of mother, didn't it make sense that it would be in an unconventional way? She looked into his pleading eyes. "You're certain?"

"More than anything."

"You don't think it's too soon?"

"I don't care. I want you for the rest of my life and this is the time to ask. So I'm asking. Marry me."

"I suppose I could."

"So you will?"

She nodded.

He kissed her deeply. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she smiled. "Now, we really should rest, Yero. We have to break this news to your children and Glinda in the morning, and that's going to be exhausting."

He laughed and she could feel it rumble through his chest as he closed his eyes. "Goodnight."

The next morning after breakfast, Fiyero put the children down for a nap and they sat down in the study with Glinda, drinking tea. She looked straight at Elphaba. "What are you hiding, now?"

"How…?" Elphaba was amazed.

"You were my best friend once. And you were never as subtle as you thought. Besides, even if I didn't know you, Fiyero is pretty obvious."

Fiyero put a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "I asked her to marry me. And she agreed."

"You… and Elphie… married?" Glinda stared at them confoundedly for a moment. "Married?"

Elphaba only nodded.

Glinda's face sprung into a smile. "That's lovely news. Would you mind if I stole Elphaba away for a bit, talk about girly things?"

"Go ahead. I'll check on the children. We plan on telling them when they wake up, anyway." Fiyero got up and headed into the other rooms.

"He looks a lot happier about this than you do." Glinda observed.

"I'm happy," she answered quickly.

"Not as happy as you should be." Glinda took Elphaba's hand. "What is going on? I know we haven't spoken in a long time, but let me help you."

"There's nothing wrong, Glinda. I do love Fiyero. I was just never the marrying kind."

"But you're marrying him."

"Glinda, when Sarima died, I was with her. He was off trying to save the children. I promised her I would take care of Fiyero and the children. So that's what I'm doing."

"That's why you're marrying him? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not. I'm doing what I have to. Do I love him? Yes. Am I absolutely certain I would marry him if I hadn't made a promise to his dead wife? No. I wasn't cut out to be a mother or a wife, but I will. I caused Sarima's death. It's only fair I repair what I've broken."

"Elphaba, that is not the way to look at this. You're marrying the man you love." Glinda grimaced. "That sounds so strange to say that to you. You, in love."

Elphaba cracked a smile at that. "That much is true."

"Then be happy. Love him because you feel for him, not out of some strange sense of duty."

"I can do both."

"Don't let one ruin the other, though." The blonde squeezed her hand. "I'm never going to forgive you for leaving me, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve at least a little happiness."

"I don't. You wouldn't say that if you knew."

"Knew what?"

But Elphaba only shook her head.

"Does Fiyero know whatever it is?"

"Yes."

"But you can't tell your best friend?"

"Glinda, we hadn't spoken in years until less than a day ago."

"Well, you hadn't spoken with Fiyero in years and it sounds like you made up for that pretty quickly."

Elphaba clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. "Glinda!"

"I'm being honest. I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. But clearly you two had some unresolved tension you needed to work out. Now, tell me, Elphaba. What is it?"

As it always had been with Glinda, the young woman had a way of making Elphaba talk. "You remember what happened to Madame Morrible? You brought it up. You assumed my people had a part in it. You were right."

"Oh, Elphie, no…"

"I did it. On their command, but I did it. I saw that those little girls were in harm's way, but I didn't care. I couldn't. I just…" Elphaba looked away. There were no tears this time.

"Oh sweet Oz."

"So now you understand. I don't deserve love, Glinda. That's why, if I hadn't promised Sarima, I wouldn't stay with Fiyero. Because I don't deserve it. Not because I don't love him."

Glinda was only staring at her when Fiyero came back in the room. "They're awake. And they want to see you, Fae. They've been asking about you constantly, and when I told them you woke up…"

"Of course." Elphaba gently withdrew her hand from Glinda's and got up.

Fiyero smiled kindly at Glinda. "Thank you again, for everything you've done."

"It was nothing," Glinda said blankly.

Elphaba headed into the room where the children had been sleeping. At once, she heard cries of "Auntie Witch!" She wondered if she'd ever get used to that. She forced a smile and leaned down towards the children. Irji hobbled over to her, Manek practically bounced. Nor sat still on the floor, watching her uncertainly.

Fiyero put an open hand on her back. "Nor hasn't been the same since… she hasn't said a word. I don't know what to do."

Elphaba walked over to the young woman. "Nor, did you want me to read to you?"

The little girl merely continued to stare at her.

She didn't know how women did it. How was she supposed to understand anything when the little girl wouldn't speak? This was insane! What had she been thinking? She could never be any sort of guardian to these children.

Fiyero sighed, then sat down. "Children, we have something we want to tell you…"