AN:
Oh my gosh, I feel so awesome right now! Wrote the entire 4.5k chap in only 2 days xD Now my only hope is that it's not entirely rubbish lol
Anyway… this is my last chapter this year! I mean… 4.5k in 2 days is quite an achievement for me these days, then I also spent 3 days on the Elphie chap… you don't seriously expect me to write another 8k or so in 3 days, right? Haha!
Anyway, I want to thank you all for your continuous support this year! It was my pleasure to write for all of you!
The companion chapter in the Elphie-version is: "Whatever It Takes"
Happy reading!
xoxo MLE
Chapter Twenty-Eight: As the Crow Flies
Lacking a good deal of strength and, most notably, weight, riding a horse was not an easy feat for the scarecrow prince. The beast he had leased from the city stable wasn't the easiest to control either, for he had asked for the swiftest mount, not the most obedient.
The first day had been a great waste of time, as well as energy. In his panic and haste he'd had no idea where to look for his runaway lover. He'd left the city through the Shiz Gate in the north, but turned his horse south not much later. After half a day or so, he had changed his mind and taken the next road that would lead him west, only to do a one-eighty five minutes later. Rather unsurprisingly, this tactic had not yielded much success, save for his rather decent mastery of the art of scarecrow-horsemanship.
Exhausted and devastated, he tied his horse to a tree for the night so that the stallion - equally exhausted but rather indifferent concerning the lack of progress - could get some rest and food. Fiyero himself found that he, once again, could not shut his eyes for but a clock-tick. Birds and bats flew by while he lay in the grass on his back, blankly watching the cloudy night sky. He kept his eyes trained on the big, full moon, hoping for Elphaba's silhouette to appear. Alas, all his waiting and hoping was for naught.
When the first shy rays of the sun tentatively touched the surrounding fields, the horse's break was over and Fiyero leapt back into the saddle. This morning, new courage made him goad his mount a little faster. During his nightly vigil he'd had some sort of epiphany and was now certain that he needed to ride to Peony Hills. Perhaps his conviction was utterly unfounded, however, he had nothing else to go by, so at any rate, this was still his best guess.
He reached his destination by the evening of the same day; his horse fighting for air and just about fed up enough with his overzealous rider to use his last strength to buck him off. The prince's straw-stuffed body helped little to keep him in the saddle, but, at the very least, there would be no injuries or bruises. With an annoyed grunt, Fiyero picked himself up and grabbed the grazing horse's reins, leading the tired and starved stallion the rest of the way.
When he saw the village from the top of the nearest hill and the first few Animals caught sight of him, great panic broke out. Every single creature took to their hooves, paws or wings, fleeing as quickly as they possibly could. Heaving a sigh, Fiyero marched on and through the small gate in the fence surrounding the village.
As he walked through the deserted main street, he recalled the first time he had visited this remote settlement to deliver the pups and also his later visit when he had hoped to meet Elphaba, but his green girl had decided to do a no-show.
His hand seemed ridiculously heavy as he lifted it to rap on Mister Lox's green door. Only reminding himself of the certainty he had felt this very morning, he was able to gather enough courage to actually knock.
No sooner had his fist made contact with the wood, than a nearby door flung open and a massive Bear stepped outside, fixing him with a truly intimidating stare. Small, black eyes never losing sight of the prince, the Animal slowly homed in on his target. And he was not alone. More and more Animals left the safety of their homes and steadily came closer, claws ready, teeth bared and snarling. Fiyero pressed his back against the door and held up his hands in surrender.
"All right, easy everyone!"
"Not so brave now, are you? Master Scarecrow the Witch Slayer," growled a Fox.
From behind the Fox a Boar pushed his way to the front and threatened Fiyero with his tusks.
"Gomp, Yoot!" the Bear yelled and two Ring-tailed Lemurs craned their necks to look past their other mates and towards the Bear. "Fetch a good rope, then bind this pathetic creature.
"Oh, I'm sure that's not necessary," the Scarecrow protested. "You see, if you just ask me nicely, I'll stand here all day if I have to and I promise, I won't move an in- hmpf!"
A third Lemur had obviously had had enough of his babbling and had promptly shoved Fiyero's hat in his mouth.
"Better," the Primate smiled triumphantly.
While Gomp and Yoot did their job as assigned by the Bear, the brown hulk of an Animal stepped closer to Fiyero, gave him a brief sniff and scrunched up his nose in disgust.
"Maybe you won't melt in water, but if we soak you well and keep you damp, you surely will grow mould and rot away like garbage."
Once the prince's hands and feet were bound, the Bear gave him a small nudge to topple him over. The Lemurs jumped at him and rolled him from Mister Lox's door to the centre of the village, tying him to the post where he had left his horse. The horse, on the other hand, they cut loose and after freeing him from his bridle and saddle, they sent him trotting away.
Now that the 'evil' Scarecrow was no longer a threat, a pair of Rabbits curiously scampered closer and even had the audacity to steal a piece of straw from his leg. Forgetting his bonds, Fiyero made an unsuccessful attempt to kick them. Unperturbed, the Rabbits started chomping on their loot.
"Well, now. Where were we, Witch Slayer?" asked the Bear, gently pushing the impudent Rodents out of the way so he could look his adversary right in the eye.
After performing some spectacular mouth acrobatics, wiggling his tongue and almost disjointing his jaw, Fiyero finally managed to spit out his hat.
"Hey, hey! Easy, pal! Look! I am not who you think I am!" he protested, but the faltered. "Well, I kind of am, I suppose… But… but you don't understand! I'm Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus."
Upon this startling revelation, the Animal turned around to face his fellow villagers.
For a moment eyebrows were raised and sceptical glances exchanged. Then the entire mob burst into roaring laughter.
"Oh man, you're funny! Maybe we just should keep you tied up here so we can listen to your antiques whenever we have a dull day."
The scarecrow-prince set his jaw and growled in annoyance.
"Is Elphaba here?" he demanded irritably. "Please, let me talk to Fae and she will confirm my identity."
A look of horror and confusion suddenly replaced the rather amused expression on most Animals' faces.
"You know her name?" an incredulous Rabbit piped up, the haulm of straw she had been chewing on falling out of her gaping mouth.
"Hush, Clover," the Bear barked. "This means nothing.
"And no, she's not here, Scarecrow. Surely you know the reason why – and don't play dumb with me! We know what you did."
"No!" Fiyero squeaked, "She's alive, I swear! Have you not heard?"
A wave of murmur went through the crowd.
"We, err, have heard rumours," the mighty Bear relented. "But if they are true; have you come to seek her out here, so you can fulfil your promise to the Wizard?"
Fiyero gave him a half-nod.
"Yes and no. I have come here to find her, but certainly not to kill her if that's what you think. I really am Fiyero. I love her and I'm searching for her so I can protect her."
The villagers exchanged uncertain looks. Some of them angrily shook their heads, others seemed almost inclined to believe at least some of what he had said.
He took a deep breath, racking his brain until he came up with a solution so ridiculously simple he could have kicked his own bum for not thinking of it earlier.
"Lox, um… Baldrian, isn't it? The Lynx. He knows me. Please go and get him. I'm sure he will tell you who I am."
At the mention of their leader's name, the villagers seemed even more shocked than they had been when Fiyero had used Elphaba's. The Bear nodded towards one of the Lemurs and he quickly scurried towards the green quoxwood door. He knocked, exchanged a word or two with the old Lynx, then both Animals walked over to the rest of the crowd.
Mister Lox cast a quick glance at Fiyero.
"You are the scarecrow who helped to supposedly kill the wicked witch," he stated, still studying his peculiar features. "Yet you say, you are the Vinkun prince who everyone presumes dead."
"Elphaba transformed me so she could save me. Please, Mister Lox; let my try and convince you."
The Lynx gave the request a brief though.
"Fine," he said at last. "I don't see any harm in this, so talk."
"Thank you, Sir."
Fiyero licked his burlap lips, wondering where to start.
"The first time I came here, I dropped off two pups: Mali and Rokah are their names. They were rescues from an Animal camp. You also helped me to arrange a meeting with Elphaba… a meeting she regretfully never showed up for."
He took another clock-tick to think of more.
"I don't know what else she has told you or when you have seen her last, but one night she came to the Emerald Palace and we ran away together, finding refuge in an abandoned Animal Village further south-east. And we…" He swallowed hard at this point. "She gave birth to a daughter not long ago. Our daughter. And now she has left in a misguided attempt to protect the girl and I. That's why I'm searching for her."
Determined, his blue eyes concentrated on the Lynx, anxiously awaiting an answer.
The Animal was deep in thoughts, his gaze lowered. After a while, the Bear spoke up.
"Baldrian? What do we do with him? Do you think he could possibly be who he claims to be?"
As though he had all but forgotten about Fiyero and only now remembered that he was still standing there, tied to that silly pole, Mister Lox looked up with a slight air of befuddlement and then nodded to himself.
"Yes... yes…" he mumbled. "I believe you, young Master Fiyero. I haven't heard of the birth of your child and frankly –given the circumstances – I'm not quite sure whether it would be appropriate to congratulate you or not…"
There he drifted off again and his eyes went out of focus for a moment before he suddenly came back from his reveries with a slight start. Fiyero watched him with concern, guessing that it must be the effects of old age setting in.
"Anyways," the Cat continued, "Your tale is fairly detailed and, as far as I can tell, accurate. And above all, it's your eyes." He met the prince's gaze and smiled fondly. "The gentleness in your eyes is quite striking and unique. Yes. Your eyes haven't changed at all."
The Bear signalled the Lemurs to remove the ropes from the scarecrow's hands and ankles.
"My apologies, Master Prince," the Animal said quietly.
Massaging his wrists, Fiyero only shrugged.
"Well, I guess I should be glad that Elphaba has such good friends and allies."
Mister Lox stepped closer and rested a paw on the Prince's back.
"Yes, we all admire her bravery and her determination. Many also owe her their gratitude. So, of course, we are delighted to hear that the rumours of her survival are true.
"Now come inside and tell me all I have missed and then I'll see if I can find someone who can help you with your search."
"Any word yet?" Fiyero asked as soon as he entered the living room where the breakfast table had already been set.
He'd spent the night in the pups' room again, staying up all night to tell stories and play games. Understandingly, his heart had not been quite in it and not a single second had passed that he'd not thought of his beloved Fae. But the children had been so excited to see him and neither wanting to burden them with his worries, nor intending to disappoint, he had played along as best he could.
"The Sparrow I sent to the Emerald City returned about an hour ago," Mister Lox replied with a sigh. "At least officially, our resistance contact knows nothing of Elphaba's whereabouts."
The prince hung his head dejectedly.
"I see."
"Well, there are many more Birds yet to return, so don't give up just yet, my son," the Lynx tried to console him. "Let's sit down and eat."
The young Dogs arrived at the table soon after and they began their meal, almost as if nothing worth mentioning was going on.
He waited until the morrow, he waited until the day after and the day after that. After five full days, the last of the Birds had returned – without any news of the green witch, just like all the others.
"Mister Lox," Fiyero called once he had spoken to the Hawk who had brought him the disappointing news and the Lynx came rushing out of the kitchen where he and the children were washing dishes.
"Yes? Any word?" he asked hopefully.
The prince shook his head, miserably.
"Nothing at all."
"What a shame."
"I… thank you for your help, Mister Lox," Fiyero said slowly. "I appreciate all you have done. But there is no time to lose and as it seems, I've come to a dead end here."
Absentmindedly drying a plate, the old Cat nodded.
"I will take my leave then."
"But where will you go?"
Fiyero slumped against a wall and scratched his neck.
"I have not the slightest idea. I only know I can't stay here any longer. I'd go insane sitting here, uselessly waiting for her to simply turn up."
That, the Lynx understood all too well. But not so the pups. Rokah refused to let go of his leg, Mali pounced at him and, more or less accidentally, knocked him down. Fiyero was too nice to complain, but Mister Lox chided the two young Dogs for acting like babies and with pouting faces, they let their friend and playmate go his way.
After a few paces, Fiyero turned to look back and saw them sitting at the threshold, waving their good byes. He lifted his arm and took off his hat to return the gesture. As soon as he taken his next step, however, he felt a pounding pain in his head and a sudden, intense heat raging through his body. He found it almost impossible to move and even his brain was like paralysed. All he could think was that his body of straw certainly must soon burst into blazing fire and burn to ashes if this heat would not be cooled immediately.
Then he collapsed in the middle of the village square.
"He's awake, he's awake!"
It was Mali's voice that was causing his head to almost split in two, right after he had cracked open his right eye.
"Yes, I'm awake, all right," the prince groaned. "But please keep it down, my head is killing me!"
Out of juvenile rashness and enthusiasm, the pups simply disregarded his request and jumped on his bed, laughing.
Drawn to the bedroom by the ruckus he had been able to hear all the way down to the kitchen, Mister Lox came shuffling up the stairs. He gave each of the Dogs an angry glare.
"Really, you two! I just wish I knew what's going on in your heads lately. The poor fellow is obviously not feeling well and there you are, swarming all over him. Off the bed! Now!"
Mali and Rokah tucked their tails between their legs and laid their ears flat as they slowly crawled off the bed and out of the room.
"My apologies, Master Fiyero," Mister Lox said and closed the door.
"It's fine. They didn't mean to make me uncomfortable."
"No, of course not. But they need to learn to be a bit more considerate. They are old enough."
The Lynx walked over to the window, yanked back the curtains and opened it wide, so plenty of fresh air could vent through the small attic room.
"How are you feeling, son?" he asked, offering a sympathetic smile.
"Much better then earlier," Fiyero replied, rubbing his still aching head with his hand. "I only wish I knew what was wrong with me all of the sudden."
Chuckling, the Animal closed the window again so that it would not get too cold.
Bemused by this reaction, Fiyero continued rubbing his head, until he realised that something was definitely different. His head was no longer soft to the touch and he could feel hair and skin beneath his fingertips. With a gasp, he pulled his hand away from his head and held up both palms right before his eyes. They were smaller, fleshy and unmistakably human.
"A mirror!" he yelped. "Quick! A mirror!"
Mister Lox opened the door of the corner wardrobe and revealed a full body length looking glass.
In amazed disbelieve, the prince stepped closer, poking his nose, pulling his ears and lifting his shirt to discover a one hundred per cent straw-less torso underneath.
"I don't believe it," he breathed, wide eyes not able to look away.
"I'm glad you're back to your old self," Mister Lox said. "And by the way, there is someone in the living room who wishes to see you."
Fiyero whirled around to face the Animal.
"Fae," he whispered under his breath, and before the old Lynx could say anything at all, he was already flying out of the door and down the stairs.
Through the open door, he could see a dark-clad person sitting on the old, beaten sofa and he paused. This wasn't Elphaba. Oz, that person wasn't even a woman, let alone green! Warily, he slowly walked over to the mysterious visitor.
The man rose as he noticed Fiyero and took off his hat to greet him. He extended a hand, but the prince's expression remained guarded and his hands both slipped in his pockets. It took him a moment, but eventually he realised why the young man's seemed so familiar.
"We have met before. You are the shape shifter, the crow."
"Yes, that's me."
His voice was light, yet his face, albeit still youthful, was marked by deep worry-lines.
"Lox said you were here to see me. I can't imagine what we possibly have to say to one another."
He still remembered how angry Elphaba had been at their last encounter – and rightly so.
"I've heard word that you were looking for Elphaba and I had hoped you could help me talk some sense into her. But finding you already transformed, it seems like the hour is much later than I thought."
The prince's face blanched.
"What… what… are you saying?"
"That miracles come at a great cost."
Fiyero could feel the blood pumping through his veins, his temples throbbing. His headache grew worse with every second, but that was the last thing on his mind right now.
"Talk!" he roared, closing the distance between them and seizing the other man by his collar.
Unimpressed, the man in black heaved a tired sigh.
"I don't want to speak of things I don't know for sure. But if you let me, I will try to lead you to her."
The rage still seething within him, it was incredibly hard for Fiyero to loosen his grip and release his opposite. Once he had managed to do just that, however, he briskly turned away, trying to cool his temper. One, two, three, he counted slowly in his head, then pinched the bridge of his nose and hesitantly turned back towards the shape shifter.
"Where is she?" he asked, surprisingly calm.
"In a small town in the westernmost corner of Gillikin. It's two and half days away from here – as the crow flies."
The prince set his jaw, grinding his teeth mercilessly. Whatever way he looked at it, his calculations were anything but promising.
"By horse it will take me forever and I don't even have a mount!"
"The terrain between here and the next village is difficult to negotiate by horse. If you'd take the next shortest detour, you'd still have to add at least another two days just for that."
This remark did little to improve Fiyero's mood and he cast the other man a hard look.
"Then what do you propose? Shall I try flap my arms until I can fly like you, or should I wish upon a star tonight and ask Lurline for a set of wings?"
Disregarding his question, the crow-man pushed past Fiyero and towards the stair, where Mister Lux did his best to make his descent. He offered the old Cat his arm and helped him down.
"Thank you, Crom, my lad."
Crom only nodded in reply.
"Baldrian," he asked once they had both reached the living room, "where do you keep the broom?"
The Lynx looked surprised.
"What do you plan to do with it?"
"Well, young Master Fiyero is in need of a mount, it seems and unfortunately we are fresh out of time for him to saunter along at snail pace on some pony, even if we were to find one for him."
"Oh, I see."
Fiyero was confused.
"All right then. Follow me, young men. The artefact you seek is displayed in the assembly hall," Mister Lox announced in a mysterious sort of voice and chuckling to himself.
Fiyero was quite sure that the old Cat had taken note of his puzzlement and allowed himself a little fun at his expense. He elbowed Crom to get his attention.
"What is he going on about?" he whispered, but the other man threw up his hands and shrugged his shoulders, feigning unknowing.
All they had to do to reach the small, low building that was the village's assembly hall, was to cross the square. Mister Lox took out a bunch of keys and squinted his eyes to find the right one. The first one he tried wouldn't fit at all, the second could be inserted, but not turned. After three more attempts, he had finally found the one he had been looking for and with a loud squeak, the door opened before them.
Fiyero craned his neck to have a look inside, trying to figure out what sort of object they had come here for. What he saw mounted on the wall right above the podium at the opposite end of the small hall took away his breath.
"Is… is that?"
"Yep." Crom answered casually. "It surely is."
Fiyero whirled around to face him.
"How did this get here?"
"Once it had been placed in the Wizard's vault, it was as child's play. Some of these guards the Emerald City is so proud of really are nothing but witless pinheads."
A faint smile tucked at the prince's lips. As if he didn't know that all too well. The only problem was that, unfortunately, at least those who were directly responsible for the Wizard and his most important staff were of the more capable and thus reliable kind.
"You stole it? But why?"
Despite his more than slightly ambiguous feelings towards the man, Fiyero could not help but cast him a short look of admiration. Then his head turned to find Mister Lox, who nodded encouragingly.
He walked through the door and crossed the room until he reached the other side. A plaque of polished oak was mounted to the wall and on two brackets, rested a broom. Elphaba's broom.
Fiyero rose himself on tiptoes and gingerly lifted his love's trusty old companion off the brackets. Giving it a gentle stroke along the smooth wooden handle, he appreciated the Animals' mindfulness to treasure this object the way they did.
"That's gonna be interesting," Crom said smirking as he stepped closer.
"Do you think I could really ride this all by myself?" the prince asked worriedly.
Com's answer was an unconcerned shrug.
"We'll find out soon enough. Just get outside and hop on!"
Fiyero brought the broom out to the village square and soon a number of Animals emerged from their homes to see what he was up to. In front of all those curious eyes, he felt a little foolish, crouching down on the broom like a child on a hobbyhorse.
"Come on, fly, you fool thing," he muttered.
The broom twitched back and forth in a naughty way and his face turned rather red. From a few feet away, he could hear Crom snickering.
"Stop that nonsense," Fiyero mumbled to the thing between gritted teeth.
The broom rose a foot and a half and then dumped the prince on his rear end. Oh, such indignity! Crom was now possibly choking on his laughter and Fiyero wheeled around angrily to shut him up with a glare – without much success.
It took over an hour and endless attempts for him to master the simplest of manoeuvres at low altitude. The broom remained resistant to his intention at first, but after taking a short break and having some small talk with the stubborn cleaning utensil, Fiyero was finally granted the joy of his first accident-free ride. Yes, he had felt incredibly silly talking to the seemingly inanimate object, but whether he was imagining things or whether the broom truly reacted to his desperate attempts to win its trust, the results spoke for themselves.
"Do you think you're ready?" asked Crom. If we don't set out soon, we'll have to stay here until morning, since I doubt that you're apt enough to fly at night."
Fiyero stared at his hands holding the broom handle and hesitated.
"Yeah… I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he decided at last.
"Great," the other man replied and, without another word, transformed into his crow form, flying off towards the west.
"Well, thanks again," Fiyero repeated his words from the previous day as he cast a grateful look at Mister Lox and gave the pups a little wink. "I guess I'll be off then. Take care everyone, all right?"
He crouched down, his knees bent, every single muscle tense for maximum thrust.
"Let's go and find your mistress," he whispered to the broom and even before he pushed off the ground, it already shot into the sky as fast as lightning. Fiyero had to hold on for his dear life, but somehow the rumbustious thing appeared to be almost cautious not to drop him despite the wild speed. In but a few clock-ticks, they had caught up to and overtaken Crom. The crow struggled to keep pace with Fiyero for a little while, but then the broom thankfully slowed down to cruising speed.
Now Fiyero was certain that he would indeed reach his destination and hopefully find Elphaba. In two and a half days – as the broom flies.
AN:
Please note that the passage with Fiyero's first flight attempts heavily draws on Elphie's first flight as described in the book ;)
