Chapter 25

That evening, Elphaba curled up beside her husband. "It was sweet of you to invite her out here like that, Fiyero."

"I thought it was the best of both worlds. You got to see her without having to see your father." He took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"I don't usually like surprises, Fiyero, but this one… I think this was was good."

"Speaking of surprises," he said carefully, "you didn't seem to be too happy about your sister's surprise."

She propped up her head on her hand. "You're talking about her going to Shiz?"

"Yes."

"I am, in a way. I'm glad I'll get to see her more. But Fiyero, if my father had just been willing to 'scrape some money together' for me, I wouldn't…" She realized what she'd been about to say and stopped.

"You wouldn't have been stuck marrying me?"

"Fiyero, I didn't mean it like that. I love you. Marrying you wasn't the problem…" What she had just said hit her. "I love you," she repeated softly.

His smile reached to his eyes as he pulled her closer. "You do?"

She laughed in surprise. "I do. Fiyero, when I'm angry, you ground me. When I refuse to go after what I want, you do it for me. You complement me in ways I didn't know I needed. I love you. We really were a good match somehow. It's a lucky coincidence, but I'm not going to deny it anymore."

"I love you, too, Elphaba." He kissed her.

"And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier, and that I kept refusing and that I was afraid. It's not that I don't trust you, Fiyero. After watching my parents, the only romantic love I knew, I saw how weak it made them, how stupid they became. I was afraid if I admitted how I felt, I'd become like them. It wasn't you. Please understand that."

"I thought you were afraid I'd hurt you."

"Yes and no. I was afraid loving you would get me hurt, not necessarily by you. I just… to me, pain and suffering are all the comes from love. I thought that something like this, something good, was only fiction. When I first met you, you seemed too good to be true and so I tried to shut you out. Thank you for not giving up on me."

"It paid off." He laughed. "It was quite the battle, though."

She buried her face in his arms. "You won. I lost."

"I don't like to think of it as fighting against one another. I think I was working against your past and the walls you put up, but not you. I think you were fighting them, too."

"Not nearly as passionately as you were."

"Mmm," he kissed her hard. "Speaking of passion, my loving wife, I would like to express mine in a very physical way." He drew her waist against his.

"Oh, please, go ahead."

The next morning, they met Nessa at breakfast, though they were down a little later than they had originally expected. Nessa had finished breakfast already. "I was starting to think I wouldn't see you today," Nessa said.

"The journey really tired me out. I slept later than I expected, and Fiyero's so polite he didn't want to bother me."

"I hope he doesn't do that at Shiz, or you'll miss classes."

"I think she'd kill me if I caused her to miss a class." Fiyero commented and both he and Nessa laughed.

"Now, Nessa, are you sure you're up for Shiz? I mean, it's a very rigorous workload. And people aren't always kind to those who are different. I should know."

"I can handle it. And if you've managed to survive the social climate, I should think I could, too."

Except Nessa had always been much more sensitive than her older sister, probably because her father had always sheltered his younger daughter. She'd been home-schooled, unlike Elphaba, and any child that had picked on the young woman had been admonished and their parents contacted. "Of course."

Fiyero, as always, came to her rescue. "So, Nessa, I never got to talk to you much at the wedding. Please, tell me a little about yourself."

"You mean Elphaba hasn't talked about me?"

"Oh, she has. But all she ever says is that you're a sweet girl and that she cares for you very much."

Elphaba looked away, knowing she'd said a few other things. She appreciated Fiyero being tactful, though.

Nessa smiled. "Elphaba always did dote on me."

"That I did."

"Anyway, I suppose if you want to know, I'm a very godly person. I'm sure you know our father was a minister."

"Elphaba has mentioned that, yes." Fiyero gave her a look. She'd certainly mentioned it, and most of the time it hadn't been exactly in a kind way. His hand found its way into her lap where it clasped hers.

"Do you practice your faith, Fiyero?"

"We don't exactly have a faith out here."

"Wait, so you have no religion at all?"

"Not really. There's a holiday around Lurlinemas where we give gifts, but it's really just to celebrate and have fun, not anything religious."

Nessa looked over at Elphaba. "Clearly Father didn't know this when he arranged for you to marry him."

Fiyero didn't seem offended. "I don't see her complaining."

"No, as a matter of fact, I'm overjoyed," Elphaba laughed. "And Nessa, you know Father didn't care whether or not they were religious out here so long as he could be rid of me."

Nessa sighed. "Elphaba, why must you be so resistant to the Unnamed God?"

"Here in the Vinkus, we value the people near and dear to us more than some being that may or may not exist." Fiyero rested a hand on Elphaba's knee.

"That makes more sense, at least." Elphaba replied.

Nessa looked back and forth from Elphaba to Fiyero and raised her eyebrows. She'd given them this look multiple times during her visit and Elphaba still had no clue what it meant.

When the time came for Nessa to leave, tears welled in her eyes. "Fiyero, your family has been very kind. I know that having me as a guest can be a bit of a burden…"

"Nonsense," Fiyero replied, "you are a wonderful houseguest. You are more polite than any guest we've ever had, I believe!"

Nessa flushed. "Thank you. The Unnamed God says to be grateful for every kind gesture."

"Well, the Unnamed God has a good idea there."

Elphaba smiled as she watched Fiyero interact with her sister. Discussing religion with Nessa was certainly not easy, but he was handling it well. She hated what Nessa preached, but loved her dearly all the same. As their visit wound down to a close, Elphaba was both relieved and disappointed to see her go. "I won't see you again until fall, then."

"I don't see why you don't come to Nest Hardings for a holiday or two."

Elphaba sighed. "Nessa, Father doesn't want Fiyero and me out there. And I think you know that."

Nessa lowered her eyes and nodded. "Well, maybe one day…"

"Maybe," Elphaba said gently.

They stood in the entry hall, a servant holding Nessa's bags and ready to load them into the carriage that awaited her outside. Elphaba kissed her sister's cheek and let her sister kiss hers.

"It was nice to actually spend time with you, Nessa. I see now why Elphaba adores her sister so much." Fiyero smiled at Nessa.

"Oh, you are too kind! I am so glad Fabala married someone as kind as you." Nessa waved as one of the servants pushed her chair out the doors.

After Nessa left, it was time for the couple to depart on their own journey back to Shiz. They headed for the train and prepared themselves for a long trip.

"You did wonderfully with my sister, Fiyero." Elphaba smiled at him once they had settled in and the train had achieved its usual rhythm.

"It was nothing. She's a sweet girl."

"I know she is, but the constant badgering about faith can be a little trying."

"She means well."

"She does. Still, it was good of you to be so kind to her."

"I'm not in the habit of being rude to my house guests," Fiyero laughed.

"Have I told you how much I appreciate that you brought her out to see us?"

"Plenty." Fiyero grabbed Elphaba's hand. "I wanted you to be happy."

Elphaba shuddered at the sweetness in his voice and the way it made her feel. She did love him. And that was scary. Yes, it was wonderful and it made things so much easier. But it made her so vulnerable that it made her uncomfortable. She lowered her eyes for a moment, looked back up and smiled at him. "Thank you."

He kissed her gently on the lips. "You are welcome. I will admit that I was quite curious to see how you and your sister interacted and to see what kind of stories she might tell."

Elphaba laughed. "I see you had other motivations than just making me happy."

"Well, that was my main motivation."

She wiped her forehead. "This train is hot." Elphaba flinched as the sting of sweat dripped down her face.

"Sweat hurts you, doesn't it?"

"Just a little. Usually I don't mind it."

"Is there something I can do to help?"

"It's fine, Fiyero. I'm used to it after years in Quadling Country."

"How could your father have dragged you out there – and your sister – with your condition? And hers?"

"Because my father believed that what he was doing was for the greater good. No matter that his Quadling 'congregation' ended up getting basically slaughtered by the Gale Force."

"It seems like he cared more about his congregation than his family."

"Perhaps."

Fiyero clenched his fist for a brief moment. "And it doesn't bother you?"

"Not anymore. Why should it? My father wasn't exactly right in the head, anyway. When I was very young, he was a little more stable, but I don't think he even considered Nessarose, Shell or I when he decided to go on a mission to Quadling Country."

Fiyero shook his head. "Still…"

"Oh, stop with the pity, Fiyero. I resent my father, I do, but I'm not going to dwell over it. And he never did anything to you, so you don't have anything to be angry about."

"He did do something that severely affected me, although it wasn't a bad thing. He did come up with the idea to have us marry."

"I think it was my mother. She was always a little more manipulative, no matter how many pinlobble leaves she'd been chewing. My father didn't argue, of course. And, like you said, it didn't turn out too badly." She kissed him on the cheek. "Not too badly at all."