(A/N: WOW! Three updates for my stories in one day? Pretty awesome right? Well, for me anyway. SO--this chapter is pretty uber changifying. Things are going to get...complicated and stuff! Oooh! I hope you enjoy this and please review!)
Elphaba didn't come out of her room until sometime around lunch the next day. Brennan didn't come back the next day. He would've, but Galinda told him not to come back so soon. Elphaba walked downstairs, rubbing her eyes. Fiyero saw her from where he was in the hall, cleaning the windows. She looked adorable when she was half asleep.
"Hey Princess!" he called. She turned around and gave him a bleary smile.
"Hey Daniel." she said, walking over to him.
"Are you ok?" asked Fiyero.
"I'm fine." said Elphaba, "I just wish...I wish people would stop pressuring me into dating and finding someone new. They just don't understand that I don't want to be with anyone...but him." she sighed, "I sound really pathetic don't I? I mean, he left me, he doesn't want to be with me, that much is obvious, but I still—I still can't breathe without him, I can't live without him."
"Maybe he had a good reason." said Daniel gently, "Maybe he had no choice but to not come back."
"Sure." Elphaba said sarcastically, "Like it was really a hard decision to choose between leaving the green freak or staying with her."
"Don't say that!" Fiyero groaned, "He loved you, he still does."
"How could you know?" asked Elphaba, "You don't even know who I'm talking about."
"He'd be crazy not to love you." said Fiyero, "Don't you know how amazing you are?"
***************
Frex summoned his followers in the Vinkun castle.
"Alright, next week, there is to be a masquerade ball at the palace." said Frex, "That will be the night we strike."
"What's the plan again?" asked someone.
"We're all going to be there, along with the men that are already at the palace and have been for a while. We'll all be masked of course, there are various ways of getting in, for most of you though, I have fake invitations. You'll be stationed in the ballroom where all the guests will be. At exactly midnight when the masks come off, we're going to make sure everyone stays in the palace, lock the doors, you'll all have their guns, just scare them a bit with those. A few of you will grab Elphaba and take her to the East Tower and lock her in, two inside and two outside and make sure she doesn't get out. A few others of you will get the Wizard and take him to the West Tower and lock him in if you can, if his men save the Wizard, then it's full blown war, but if we succeed in getting Elphaba, we've got the number one hostage. With her still in the palace, it will force the Wizard and his men out and he'll have to set up somewhere else, battles will occur wherever a fight strikes up, but we will win and then Oz will be ours." said Frex. There was a loud cheer and Frex smiled evilly, yes, he'd win this war and after that Elphaba and Oz would be his.
************
Later that day, Elphaba and Daniel lay together again on the hammock at sunset this time; her head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her tightly. He didn't know how much longer he could go on with this. He needed to tell her, better yet, he wanted her to find out herself. He wanted to be with her again, and actually be with her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead absentmindedly. For a moment, Elphaba thought she was back with Fiyero on one of those Sunday's while she read and he pressed kisses to her forehead everyone once and a while as he played with her hair or read with her. She looked up, her heart beating, half expecting it to be Fiyero, it felt so much like him, she'd memorized what it felt like to be in Fiyero's arms and she felt like she was in his arms right now! She looked up and her heart deflated, it was only Daniel, but he felt so much like Fiyero, he was like him in so many ways!
"You remind me so much of him." she told him.
"Really?" asked Fiyero softly.
"Mm hmm." she nodded, "I don't know if that's a good thing or not though."
"I'd hope a good thing." Daniel chuckled.
"I suppose." said Elphaba, playing with his hand, tracing the lines on his palm, "I miss him so much." she whispered. I love you so much Elphaba, Fiyero wished she could hear him, but of course she couldn't. He fought back tears and pressed another kiss to her forehead.
*************
The next day was to be a masquerade ball and of course, Galinda was bouncing off the walls with excitement.
"A MASQUERADE!" she kept squealing.
"You see, I don't think I even need a mask, I'm green, people are going to know it's me anyway." said Elphaba, shrugging.
"But Elphie, wearing a mask is the best part!" Galinda said, "And you've got to wear one."
"Fine, I will, to amuse you." Elphaba muttered.
"Oh really, you would?" asked Galinda.
"Yes Galinda." Elphaba sighed.
*************
It was the night of the masquerade ball and David and Fiyero were just slipping on their masks. Fiyero finally got a chance to take off his hat, for he was substituting it with the black mask. He slipped it on and straightened his jacket. Even the servants were given masks. He walked into the hall and saw David walking out of his room as well.
"I saw you yesterday with the princess." said David.
"And?" asked Fiyero, "I didn't do anything or tell her who I was."
"You are this close Fiyero." David said, making a mark with his fingers, "And if I turn you in, you'll be off the job before I can snap my fingers."
"Look, we've got a ball to serve at, could we do this some other time?" asked Fiyero annoyed. David gave Fiyero a look, but continued on down the hall. Fiyero followed him and went up to the ballroom and took his post behind the counter.
*************
Victor and Jacob slipped their masks on and pulled their fake invitations out of their pockets as they walked towards the entrance. They gave their invitations to the lady at the front and she smiled at them and told them to enjoy the ball. They smiled back, but not in the same way. They took their posts and pretended to mingle with various personnel's while they waited for the princess to come.
***********
Fiyero stood behind the bar counter, serving masks guests their drinks. He was prepared to be blown away when Elphaba made her entrance, but that still didn't stop making his heart stop. She wore a black dress that went to her knees with a few layers to it at the skirt part. It was sleeveless and fitted her perfectly. On her hands, she wore black silk gloves that went up to her elbow and she wore a single diamond bracelet on one wrist. Her hair had been wound into a messy bun that looked good on her and she held a black mask with black sequins to her face. It was the mask with a stick on one side that you held it with. Fiyero smiled as she walked down the stairs, receiving her customary hug from James before being introduced to a thousand different people. It was about 10:30, and the ball would end at midnight, when the masks came off, of course, he couldn't take his off, but he wished he could. She danced with a few of the guests and finally, around eleven forty five, she made her way over to the bar to chat with Daniel.
"My, don't you look handsome." she said.
"I do, don't I?" he laughed.
"Modest aren't you?" she laughed.
"You know me." he said, grinning at her. Galinda came over then, wearing a yellow dress and bearing a yellow mask.
"Wow, you look bright." said Fiyero.
"I know!" said Galinda, "I'm supposed to be sunny!"
"Well good job, you got what you were aiming for." said Fiyero.
"Are you making fun of me?" asked Galinda, sincerely confused.
"No...." said Fiyero. Elphaba laughed and Galinda put her hands on her hips.
"I think you both are mocking me." she whined, "So I'm going to go dance with...um..." she looked around, "David!" she declared and marched over to David who was serving o'dourves. She grabbed him and he hastily handed his tray to a guest who looked a little surprised, but just shrugged and started serving other guests o'dourves himself.
"Would you like to dance?" asked Fiyero.
"Of course." Elphaba grinned and she let him lead her to the dance floor. He took her small hand in his and they danced gracefully. Elphaba felt a sudden shock as she felt Fiyero take her hand. She looked at him and realized it was Daniel, not Fiyero. She sighed as her heart beat slowly decreased. Fiyero saw the slight bit of shock cross her face, but when she looked back at him, she seemed to relax, Fiyero wandered what had gotten her.
"Are you ok?" he asked, grinning.
"Fine, fine." Elphaba muttered. She looked up at him, "You know, I've never seen your eyes before, you're always wearing that stupid cap..." then she looked closer at his eyes, "Hey, you have blue eyes, I never knew that..." she trailed off as she looked deeper into his eyes. Oh my Oz, those are Fiyero's eyes, those mesmerizing blue pools...he always looked at me like that, with...love...oh my oz, no it couldn't be, don't get carried away. But his hands feel so right, he's holding my hand like Fiyero...the other day in the hammock....she felt like she'd been with Fiyero...Fiyero...Fiyero, I have to know for sure...no, it can't be—but it is!
"Say my name." said Elphaba all of a sudden.
"Elphaba." Fiyero said softly. Her eyes sparked and she looked at him, shock written all over her face.
"Fiyero?" she asked in wonder.
***********
It was 11:59.
