2.17 Collecting Fiyero

I was resting snuggly against Glinda's body, my head lying on her shoulders and my arms wrapped around her from behind, tied together at the front. Night had fallen almost an hour ago and I wanted the horse to stop its canter so I could fall asleep properly. As it were, I drifted in and out of a dreamless state of mind, exhausted.

It was Isobel's hope that we would reach her camp by morning, and so she'd taken my place, running beside the horse, holding onto its reins as I rode on top it behind and tied to Glinda. I'd once again pointed out that I was not going anywhere and asked if she could untie me, but she refused. Not that I could really do anything in my current condition. I begun to see what she meant when she said I'd be easier to deal with if I were tired. There would have to be a very significant chance of escape to provoke me into making any attempts on it.

I simply couldn't bring myself to exert any uncalled for energy.

The horse suddenly skirted to a stop and I raised my head, slowly taking my weight off of Glinda- who sighed happily.

"Why have we turned around?" Glinda asked and Isobel shushed her, breathing deeply. She cut me away from Glinda and pulled me down off the horse, holding on to me as I got my bearings straight,

"What are we doing?" I asked once I realized that we were still in deep in the woods. She quickly retied my hands in front of me without answering, taking my arm in one hand and the reins in the other.

"Why-"

"Glinda, stay silent, please," she requested tiredly and Glinda grumbled for her perch above us, surprisingly obeying the woman. It was amusing that the woman had been trying to goad Glinda into speaking and when she finally succeeded, silenced her.

She tethered the horse to a lowered tree branch, "We'll be right back," she said, taking out a small hunting knife. I heard Glinda ask some question as Isobel pulled me along without answering, and I wasn't remotely alarmed. Through her kindness and my fatigue, Isobel had won my trust.

That is, until I saw Fiyero through the trees,

"What-" she put her hand over my mouth before I could say more and I started to squirm against her,

"Stop it. I'm not going to hurt any one of you," she promised, holding me down effortlessly. I felt what little energy I had left in my muscles drain from the weak resistance. Within seconds I had stopped and she released my mouth, "Are you quite finished?" she asked patronizingly, like I was a child.

"Please leave him alone," I pleaded and she shook her head, looking where Fiyero was studying the ground, the horses pawing idly around him,

"We're too close to camp to have him following as he is. It's safer this way," my eyes widened and she smiled kindly, "Oh Miss Elphaba, do you really believe that I wasn't aware of his presence? There was no harm in letting him follow and I promise you, I will not hurt anyone. Not unless you leave me no other choice. Now go- bring him here peacefully," she said, pushing me lightly into the light of the clearing,

"Fiyero," I said and he turned to me with wide eyes. For a second I felt elated that I'd be near him once again. I wanted to run to him and hug him, but Isobel was still patiently waiting behind me and I knew I couldn't risk putting us in danger,

"Fae-" he started, a smile lighting up his face. He noticed that I was with someone and cut himself off, running towards his horse, probably to get a weapon of sorts.

"Say something," Isobel ordered behind me, and I heard her sigh when the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. "Elphaba," she muttered a little disappointed, lifting the knife to my throat and gripping me tightly, probably so I wouldn't fall into it if I collapsed. "Master Fiyero!" she called out and Fiyero stopped mid-step when he realized my compromising position.

"Let her go!" he yelled.

"She's not going to hurt me," I reassured him in case he did something rash in a blind protective rage. He had that look in his eye. "Just come over here."

He shook his head. Three more steps and he would have been at his horse and we both knew it. From there it would only be a couple seconds before he reached us, and as tired as I was, I knew I'd be able to fend Isobel off for at least that long. He knew it too, which is why he couldn't understand my reluctance for action, "But Elphie-"

"Please?" I asked, removing myself from Isobel's grip. It wasn't that hard, as she lowered her knife the instant it looked like I might cut myself, surprisingly true to her word of not wanting to harm us. For some reason I felt that everything she'd been saying was true- that if Fiyero continued to follow us as he had or if we went along unattended, we would be in danger.

Fiyero looked helplessly between me, the horse and Isobel. "Why?" he asked, pained that he was being asked to do something he felt he had a duty to do. I realized that it was probably the only reason he expressed so much affection towards me- he felt like he was obligated to provide it. The realization of this saddened me for some inexplicable reason. Isobel answered in my stead,

"I can provide you protection, Master Fiyero. In an hour we'll be passing across the Resistance patrol boarder. If you're found there by one of our patrols with no chaperone you will more than likely be killed. I hold a position of substantial influence within the group and can ensure that you remain untouched," she explained. I could tell that Fiyero was being swayed slowly by the sincerity in her voice,

"Fae?" he asked uncertainly. He was confused and I couldn't blame him for it. He was, like I had earlier, still coming to terms that Isobel was different from most of the people we'd encountered since returning to Oz.

I knew he'd do whatever I told him to so I bit my lip, hoping I wasn't sentencing us all to death; "Do as she says, Yero."

The nickname escaped my lips before I could take it back. He held my gaze for a long moment, trying to decipher the meaning of it. I silently wished him luck because I didn't know what it, and the emotions I felt, meant myself. I wasn't sure what he ended up seeing there but he nodded once. "Alright," he said softly, relaxing his tensed body.

"I'm going to have to tie your hands," Isobel said a little reluctantly and Fiyero walked forwards slowly with his head down, resigned to his fate. I looked away as she tied his wrists together, unable to face him. It made me feel guilty that he submitted to Isobel at my request. Isobel walked away, corralling the horses leaving us to ourselves.

I was turned away from him, so it surprised me when I felt his body behind mine. Hooking his chin over my shoulder and pressing against me, his hand rested on my hip and he muttered, "I wish I could hug you properly," into my ear. I felt myself flush and I was happy it was dark.

"You're not mad at me?" I asked a little worried for the response. Glinda's disappointment in my lack of resistance was only just bearable, mostly because she still refused to speak for the most part when consciously in Isobel's presence.

Fiyero turned me around, "Why would I be mad at you Fae?" he asked, "I mean, I'm a little confused with your reasoning, but I'm happy we're all together again. I just want you to be safe," he added softly, leaning in closer to me. There was an odd intensity in his eyes that unnerved me.

"Where's Shanny?" I asked suddenly, backing away and realizing that the blue girl was glaringly absent. Fiyero looked a little disappointed but he shushed me and it occurred to me how loud I'd said it.

He shrugged, "I wasn't really paying attention," he admitted and I looked to see if Isobel had noticed the exchange, but she'd just ducked her head down, checking the buckles on the horse I'd been riding before getting caught. I couldn't tell if she overheard or not.

"There were two of you. How can you not pay attention to each other?" I demanded a little irritated to find out that we weren't all together again after all.

Fiyero shrugged again, "She ran off into the woods- what was I supposed to do? You know her," he whispered darkly.

"You two ready to leave?" Isobel asked, holding the reins of our three horses. As I nodded I felt Fiyero's hands move over mine. I looked at him questioningly but he refused to look at me. I wasn't sure why. "Master Fiyero, do you know where your traveling companion is?"

"Who?" Fiyero asked innocently, lying through his teeth, but quite well. I tired not to wince at her intuitiveness- how did she know?

Isobel sighed, "You very well know who. And I must say, Miss Elphaba, you couldn't have chosen more conspicuous traveling companions."

I wondered how much she knew about my predicament, about the reasons the Gale Force was chasing us for. They hadn't caught up to us yet, and I questioned why.

"The Gale Force won't pass the Resistance boarders," Isobel said offhand, and I had the most peculiar feeling that she'd read my mind. "They might tell the Wizard that they've searched the area, but they're much too cowardly to do it. They don't dare engage in combat where our numbers are so concentrated. That is why your friend is in danger," she insisted but Fiyero stubbornly shook his head,

"I don't know who you're talking about."

Isobel looked into the woods, then back at Fiyero with disapproval, "Let us hope, then, that she has more common sense than you. Get up on the horses, we've got to go," she requested, leading Fiyero to one of the horses and helping him climb onto it.

"Wait," Fiyero said once he was sitting high above Isobel. He gripped the knob of the saddle tightly to keep from falling, "What's your name?"

"Isobel, or Lady Isobel if you so please," she glanced at me when she said this. "My origin is of no importance, as you will soon find out. All you need to know is that I'm a prominent figure in the Resistance."

She helped me climb my own horse, and I was thankful that I was neither running nor sharing with Glinda, both of which were extremely uncomfortable.

A/N: 'Cause the seventeen or so people reading this have already read the previous chapter, here you go. Brace yourselves- three or so more chapters and there probably won't be any more.