"Gerward!" Fiyero called out. The man ahead turned around. He was Geram and Gerrie's father, and it was not difficult to see even at a glance how much his two children looked like him. He broke into a smile when he realized who it was.
"Prince Fiyero, What a coincidence."
"What are you doing here?" Fiyero asked.
Gerward showed the bags that he was carrying.
"Buying some snacks and local delicacies. As you know, my family is going to Glikkus to visit my aunt and her family. "
"Yes, I've heard about it. Please send my regards to Prince Avon."
"I will."
"It's been some years since he came for a visit. We do still welcome him, you know."
"Just not to the Thousand Year Grasslands," Gerward added, and the two men laughed.
"So I heard there may be some matchmaking as part of this trip?"
Gerward shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly matchmaking. My aunt said that there are a few eligible boys of marriageable age in her circle who may be suitable for Gerrie. She's even arranging for a ball for her in the castle. I can't say no to that. But I'm hoping that nothing will come out of it. I may be a Glikkun and related to the royal family, but you know where my heart lies."
Fiyero clapped him on his shoulder. "Of course. Vinkus is the best."
"Oh well, I better make a move. I'll see you around."
"Tell Nor to be home on time for dinner, " Fiyero said as a parting shot, and Gerward laughed and waved goodbye.
Back home, Fiyero entered his suite just as Elphaba sealed the envelope in her hand.
"Another letter to Nessa?"
"Yes. It's been a long time since I've written to her."
"Less than a month, if I recall correctly. "
She raised her brows, daring him to continue.
"And it's high time she gets another letter from you," he teased her goodnaturedly. "By the way, I bumped into Gerward at the Red Windmill just now. Remember when Nor mentioned that they are going back to Glikkus for some matchmaking for Gerrie? It seems that it was his aunt's idea and he is not too keen either."
"Matchmaking." Elphaba rolled her eyes at the word. "I'm glad your parents agreed that we'll not interfere with our children's choices."
"Well, I'm glad that they didn't give me the freedom to choose my wife." Fiyero grinned. "Or I'll never get the chance to meet you." He cupped her face with a smile.
Elphaba smiled back at him, and then she took a deep breath. "Yero, there's something that I need to tell you. "
"What is it?"
"I'm pregnant."
"What?" His smile grew wider. "That's good news!"
"You really think so?"
"Of course. I missed the feeling of carrying a baby in my arms, watching them as they take their first steps…"
"That's not a reason to have another child. You did say just the other day how glad you are that the children are all grown up and independent."
"Yes, I did say that, but it doesn't mean that I don't want another child. This is great news." He embraced and kissed her. "So how far along are you?"
"Around two months?"
"How are you feeling? I didn't notice any morning sickness, or have I been that negligent recently?" He frowned with worry.
She shook her head. "I'm fine. I don't feel nauseous, and I don't feel tired. Well, maybe just abit. It's not like the times when I was pregnant with Manek and Inek when I threw up everything I ate for the first few months."
"It's a girl then," Fiyero predicted. "I remember that you didn't show any sign of morning sickness when you were pregnant with Nor too."
"That's old wives' tales."
"We shall see. My parents will be ecstatic to hear this. Maybe I'll hop over to the other castle to tell them this weekend. Have you told anyone else?"
Elphaba looked at the letter on the table.
"I did tell Nessa."
"She hasn't received your letter, so it doesn't count." He laughed at his theory. "I don't believe this," he said, beaming from ear to ear. "I am going to be a father again."
Many years ago.
They gathered outside the stables at the crack of dawn.
It was a small group, a dozen in total. Each of them carried their own gear and rations. Most of them would be sleeping on the ground, but that was a tent each for the Vinkun and Glikkun princes.
Tibbett and Crope were there, ostensibly on an early morning stroll.
"Did you quarrel with each other?" Crope asked as he pulled his coat tighter and shivered in the morning cold.
"Quarrel? Of course not." Elphaba snorted.
Fiyero was talking to one of Vinkuns - a man introduced as Gerward, and Elphaba turned away to ease the twisting feeling in her chest. She had no idea she could be so mad at someone. She did not want to see his face or hear his voice. Munchkin fidgeted, as if sensing her discomfort. She turned to look at the Glikkuns. Their prince had long straight hair that he tied in a ponytail. He turned, as if sensing her stare, and he nodded in greeting.
"Really? Then why was he walking around the castle late last night?" Tibbett asked.
"There's nothing wrong with that. It's his castle after all."
"With a miserable look on his face? At 3am?" Tibbett raised his brows.
"My mom taught me never go to bed angry with your partner," Crope continued when Elphaba did not answer. "It's bad for a relationship. If you love him, you should forgive him for whatever stupid things that he has done. And I'm sure Fiyero can do many stupid things."
"I'm lucky to have her as your mother," Tibbett teased him, and then nudged him. "Speaking of the devil, here he comes. We'll make our move."
"Don't go to bed angry tonight, green girl. We expect to be regale with stories of mindblowing makeup sex when you're back. " The two men waved goodbye.
"We're ready to go," Fiyero came up to her. Elphaba ignored him, but she dug her heels and her horse broke into a trot, looking ahead. She could hear his sigh but she ignored it. She'd have to face him constantly the next few days, but at least Sarima would not be there.
She rode alone, following the group. After a while, the Glikkun prince fell back and rode nextto her.
"So, I heard that you're new to Vinkus," Prince Avon said.
"Yes."
"Where are you from?"
"Munchkinland."
"Really? I would have taken you for a Gillikinese. I thought that Munchkinlanders are usually not very tall."
"Not all." She refused to elaborate.
"My apologies, my lady. Obviously I don't know Munchkinland very well."
"Apology accepted."
He was not deterred by her short responses. "I have never been to Munchkinland," he said. "If you don't mind, perhaps you can share more about Munchkinland."
They continued to ride together and Prince Avon continued to ask her about Munchkinland, and talked about Glikkus. It helped to distract her from thinking and being angry at was once when she accidentally turned and found Fiyero looking at her with a frown, and she turned away.
They stopped and had a late lunch when they found a suitable shady place.
"I noticed that all your men have long hair like you. Is it a cultural norm?" she asked.
"It is common for men to have long hair in Glikkus, although different people keep their hair long for different reasons. I can't say for the rest, but I got to admit that it's partly due to vanity for me." He laughed. "We're on patrol now, but on occasions back at home, I like to accessorize my hair. I will do plaits, or tie up my hair with ribbons and stones. I love it."
"Really? You're just like my sister."
"You have a sister?" And Elphaba found herself telling him about Nessa.
The group rested as the day grew hotter, and they set off as the sun was setting to cover more grounds.
"Did you see that?" Elphaba pointed to the distance. Fiyero turned to her voice, but she was talking to Prince Avon. He saw the smile on her face as she realized that it was a herd of antelopes. He should be the one next to her right now, showing her the amazing sights, but it was another man next to her, enjoying her company. Fiyero nudged his horse to her direction, wanting to join her, but Gerward came up to him just then and asked him about the plans for the night.
He would give her some time to cool down before he talked to her tonight, he told himself.
"I'm always amazed by how rich the fauna is in the Thousand Year Grassland. If we're lucky, we might get to see some lions," Prince Avon told her.
"Really?"
"From afar, of course. It's not wise to go up too close. Once a lion has its sights on you, there's not much chance you can escape. You may think that it's cruel, but once a lion got its paws on a man he's pretty much a goner. And it's more merciful to kill him with an arrow than to let the lion drag him back to its pride." He looked around them, at the other members of the group. "Forgive me, I think I've been rude, keeping you away from your people." But Elphaba assured him.
"This is a joint exercise. It's an opportunity for the two tribes to understand each other. There's no reason why we should stick to our own people."
He looked pleased. "You're right. I hope I have been pleasant company."
Elphaba chuckled. "Of course you are."
They set up camp when it was too dark to ride. Someone brought out some alcohol and passed it around. While it was summer, the temperature would drop at night, and the alcohol would help keep their bodies warm.
One of the men had lost his rations somewhere along the way, and Fiyero had a quick discussion with Gerward on how to distribute the rest of the food to ensure that everyone would have sufficient food for the rest of the trip, and also to finalize the direction that they would take tomorrow. They would not be hunting for meat, and did not bring more than the basic weapons. They took the food packs that they had among the Vinkuns and redistributed it, and Elphaba was gone when they came out of the tent.
"Where's Elphaba?" Fiyero asked.
The men looked around. "Maybe she went to answer nature's call?"
Alone?
It was then that he noticed that the Glikkun prince was not there either.
He stood a distance away from the campfire, straining his ears for her voice. He heard it after a while.
"I hate him." Her voice was soft and breathless. It seemed to come from behind a thick bush a distance away. He had never heard her speak like this before, except when they were in bed and making love, when she was about to come, and a swell of jealousy rose in him with the thought.
A man chuckled.
"We're not here to talk about unhappy stuff." He could recognize Prince Avon's voice.
Fiyero wanted to call out to her, but he refrained himself. They were on a diplomatic patrol, and it would not be good if word got back that the two princes had a dispute over a woman. He quickened his steps.
He was about to round the corner when he heard Elphaba sighed and her next sentence stopped him in his tracks. "Wife. I hate it when he calls me that. I know that he tolerated me because of the marriage. I know that he'll be kind to whoever is his wife." She giggled. "Even if they made him marry a cactus. A cactus!" She giggled again. "But does he have to keep reminding me? Wife. I am sick of that word. And now … Sarima…" Elphaba hiccuped.
"Elphaba," Fiyero called her name as he stepped into the light. He could see that her face was flushed even in the dim light. He expected Elphaba to be seated close to the prince, or even in his arms, but she was seated at a respectable distance from him, and a relief swept through him. Prince Avon looked up at him.
"And I thought that you'll never come. You thought that I was seducing your wife, didn't you?" he chuckled.
He looked at Elphaba. Her eyes were closed, and there was a frown on her face.
"You're a lucky guy, aren't you? She's such an exotic thing, delicate, totally unaware of her attractiveness. Her straightforward nature and the way she takes delight in simple things is so refreshing. It's not difficult to look past what she thinks are thorns to find her velvety petals." Prince Avon reached out, pretending to touch her cheek and smiled when he saw Fiyero fisting his hands. "I'm almost tempted to have some fun with her. But I guess I've missed my chance now that you're here."
The prince stood up. "She's all yours, Prince Fiyero." He gave a mocking bow and walked away.
Fiyero watched the Glikkun prince as he walked away. He then took a deep breath before he knelt down before Elphaba.
He had to call her a few times before she opened her eyes.
"Fiyero?"
Fiyero nodded, and he pulled her to her feet, kissing her temple when she leaned against him. She shivered, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's cold," she mumbled.
"Let's go back."
He was woken up hours later.
"Yero," she muttered his name as she burrowed into his chest, her hand going under his shirt as a leg hooked around his hip.
"Elphaba?"
"Yero." She nipped him.
"Elphaba, we need to talk. I know you're angry with me."
"Angry with me," she parroted him.
"I'm not angry with you, Elphaba. Why would I be angry with you?"
She gripped his back and rubbed her groin against his leg, making little noises. Fuck, just that and he felt himself getting hard. "Fuck," he whispered as he rolled her to her back and kissed her, his hand kneading her breast.
She moaned into his mouth. "Fuckkkk."
Fiyero burst out laughing as he released her, feeling embarrassed. There was no way she'd use that word if she was sober.
"You're drunk." He laughed again as he shifted their positions so that she was no longer grinding against his cock.
" - drunk."
And Fiyero laughed again, a mix of embarrassment and relief.
"You'll be the death of me one of these days," he told his drunk wife.
He pulled her to him, combing his fingers through her hair until she stopped fidgeting. He kissed her on her forehead. "And you're going to get a hell of a hangover in the morning, my princess."