Author's Note: A huge thanks to Drew for putting up with my rambling for three hours the other night and helping me finish a plotline for this monster of a fic. The good news is, this fic actually will get finished now, cuz I'm not just randomly sticking in whatever comes to mind and hoping to god that I can get them out of it. It's a little more than halfway done now, and I already have the epilogue written…have for months now. Oooh, you guys are so gonna hate me! ::smiles conspiratorially at Liv and Drew::

Chapter 21

"Witch? Witch? Witch watch wind weave!"

Fiyero awoke to the sound of Chistery's petulant voice and opened his eyes a crack, wincing even in the dim light. He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep the previous night, but evidently they all had, for it was light now. Glinda was lying curled in a ball, her once-pink skirts darkened by red sand stains and spots of ash. Boq was muttering and thrashing in his sleep, coming dangerously close to kicking Igitur, who had somehow managed to fall asleep sitting up. The wind was indeed blowing hard, making the blades of grass look like a rippling, roiling sea of green waves.

"Sleep well?"

Fiyero jumped and turned to see Elphaba sitting on the blanket behind him, Chistery perched happily on her shoulder. The monkey was tying little sections of her long hair in knots and looking extremely pleased with himself, flexing his long wings and bobbing up and down every so often.

Fiyero got to his feet and went over to sit beside Elphaba, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down against his chest. She kissed his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, and he fought back tears.

"Elphie…Fae, are you all right?"

She nodded weakly and pulled away a little so she could see his face.

"What happened…how…where are we?"

Fiyero sighed heavily and plucked a blade of grass near his left hand. He wrapped the long green strand around his hand in different patterns for nearly a whole minute as though mesmerized by it.

"Fiyero?"

He tied the long green string into a loop knot and pulled his hair back with it.

"We managed to escape from the Necavit. I think we're in the Thousand Year Grasslands, though I'm really not sure which part. Navigation was the last thing on my mind last night."

Elphaba nodded grimly.

"And is Gerema…?"

Fiyero sighed again.

"Yes. She…I guess you could say that she sacrificed herself on our behalf."

Elphaba snaked her arm around his waist and laced her fingers through his.

"Pity. That woman had resolve…Attitude issues, maybe, but she did have potential. We're going to miss her, later on at least."

Fiyero grimaced.

"I have a feeling it'll be sooner than you think."

"Meaning…?"

"It's been a long time since I've been in out in the Vinkus. A lot has changed. She was more valuable for survival than you could imagine. And I meant it when I said I didn't know which part of the Thousand Year Grasslands we were in. I've never been in this far before, and they go on for miles."

"So you mean we're really lost?"

"Yes. It's possible to go on for weeks without finding food or water. There have been countless hunting parties who have gotten lost out here and starved to death in the grass."

"Wonderful…" muttered Elphaba.

"Wonder wander winder," chirped Chistery, who looked especially pleased by the assortment of tangles he had created on Elphaba's head.

"You'd better watch that little menace," said Fiyero, who was only marginally amused by the monkey's antics.

"Oh, you're just jealous," teased Elphaba, who was in an uncharacteristically good mood despite their predicament. She plucked the monkey off her shoulder and tickled his belly while Fiyero scowled at her.

Fiyero leaned in and kissed her, cradling the monkey between them.

"Oooooh, looks like someone's awake!" sang Glinda in an obnoxiously high-pitched voice. The wind was whipping her gold curls around her head, giving her the appearance of an incredibly shaggy, disgruntled cat.

Elphaba and Fiyero both glared at her, but the moment was already ruined. Boq was sitting up and stretching and Igitur's eyes were open, though the old man showed no other signs of being awake. Chistery fluttered over and tapped him on the shoulder. He gave a loud shout and began swatting at the monkey as though he were some kind of especially large biting insect.

"Beast! Away you get! Pest! Kill you I will!"

"Oh, leave him be," scolded Elphaba, grabbing the monkey and setting him on the ground. Chistery scowled at her and hissed rudely.

"We don't have anything to eat, do we?" moaned Glinda.

Elphaba rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips.

"You're just as bad as Chistery, you know that?"

Glinda pouted.

"I liked you better when you were sick," she muttered.

"Children, children," called Boq, smirking at them.

"All right," said Fiyero loudly. The group turned and looked at him as though he'd just appeared out of nowhere. "We're agreed that we don't have anything to eat. In that case, sitting around here lost and starving isn't going to do us any good. We need to get moving in the hope that we can either find our way out of here or find more supplies to keep us alive until we can get out."

"Find fend food," put in Chistery. Glinda patted his head cautiously.

"Right," said Elphaba. "So…"

"Walk now, we will!" said Igitur enthusiastically.

"Which direction?" asked Elphaba.

"South," said Fiyero after a moment. "That's the direction of Kumbricia's Pass. With any luck, we'll come out somewhere near the Scrow camps."

By midmorning, the sun was beating down mercilessly, and the already starved and dehydrated travelers were on the verge of collapse. Just when it was beginning to look as though they would never come to the end of the emerald sea of grass, the tall stalks abruptly stopped, revealing the skeleton of a huge building.

"What in the name of—" gasped Glinda.

Fiyero shrugged.

"I have no idea…but…it looks new. Come on, there must be people somewhere nearby."

"And if they're hostile?" asked Elphaba.

Fiyero looked at her grimly.

"Then it's a lot better than slowly wasting away out here."

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