Chapter 28
"How are you and Miss Elphaba?" Balfour asked a few hours later; much like the others in the room, he'd had no idea about the baby. The group had given the ladies space, Fiyero had taken them over to his father's private study across the hall from the bedroom they had been in. King Tahir had wanted to know just what Elphaba had meant; it seemed that the Queen had not filled him in due to his health.
"We really haven't had the proper time to grieve. I was very surprised that she said anything at all but given the situation, she may have thought she didn't have a choice," Fiyero heaved a sigh. They were sitting outside with the troops, something that Tahir had instilled in the Prince as a boy. If he stood with his men and did the same things they did, they would respect him and follow him to the very gates of hell.
"Lady Glinda is not in a very good place. She is used to being loved by everyone. Once she found out, the man, whom she'd sworn, her allegiance to, was not only committing atrocities but was using her as a pawn, she just…" Balfour didn't have a word for it.
"Yeah, she lost it. Can't say I blame her, especially since the Wizard tried to have her killed," Fiyero nodded.
"She tries to be tough but…" another sentence that the former Gale Force soldier didn't know how to finish.
"Glinda reminds me of a three day old cream puff," the Prince said. Balfour gave him a look.
"She looks absolutely perfect on the outside. Hair and clothes just so. Break through the exterior and the interior's sensitive contents are ruined. Without delicate care, they don't last long, in the hostile environments we call home," Fiyero explained.
"That's a little harsh," Balfour said.
"Glinda led a sheltered life. Her mother and father doted on her since she was their only child. When she arrived at Shiz, she behaved like she was a Princess and the world should bend to her will. It was only after she got to know Elphaba that she began to change. Whether she likes to admit it or not, Fae is a force of nature," the Prince told him. His friend nodded but didn't say anything.
"So how long have you had a crush on her?" Fiyero asked. It caught Balfour off guard.
"You managed to hide your rebel status from everyone but you can't hide how you feel about her. You ever say anything to her?" He wanted to know.
"Like what? Lady Glinda, you don't know me but I've been secretly keeping you safe and I think I'm in love with you?" Balfour gave him a look.
"Yeah that sounds creepy," Fiyero admitted.
"Besides at the time, it would have been dangerous for the two of us. You know if the Wizard or the fish woman figured out I was even remotely interested in her, they'd have used it against me," the former Gale Force solider told him.
"You are right about that," the Prince nodded. Their conversation was interrupted by the soldiers around them parting like the Red Sea. Fiyero turned to see his girlfriend walking up to them. He wondered if the soldiers were scared she could turn them into frogs or something. It wasn't until he heard one of them murmur "Princess", that he wondered what exactly had given the man the idea.
"Miss Elphaba," Balfour smiled slightly as he and Fiyero stood.
"Hello Lucius," she smiled at him.
"How are you?" Fiyero asked.
"Better. Glinda and I talked until she was exhausted. Lord Arduenna is with her now and your mother is seeing to it that she gets some good sleep, when they are done talking. Your father has already forgiven her. All in all, I think we've turned a corner but I think she's still going to need some time. All of this has hit her in fairly short order and it's a lot to handle," Elphaba admitted.
"We were just discussing that," he said. They didn't have time to discuss any further as one of the scouts came running up to them. He looked like he was about to collapse and Fiyero ordered that someone get him some water.
"What is it?" Elphaba asked, concerned about his heart rate.
"Gale… Force… almost… here…" he managed.
To Be Continued…
