Not much longer until the end. Two more chapters to go!

Fiyero and Elphaba were astonished.

"How is that possible?" asked Fiyero.

"He was an ambassador for the Vinkus a few years ago. One day he just took over. Your father was powerless to stop him, Elphaba."

"You know about that too?" Elphaba asked quietly.

"I know a lot of things, but your secrets are safe with me."

"What are we going to do about gruesome outside?" asked Liir.

"Leave that to me," said Fiyero. He excused himself and left the hut.

Elphaba sank down onto the bed. Her usually passionate eyes were downcast. Vidaya sat next Elphaba and drew her into a hug.

"I can't believe you're here. It's been years since we've seen each other," Elphaba told her.

"I couldn't let my husband destroy one of my best friends. I had to come here."

"Thank you," Elphaba said softly.

Glinda came running in, her robe flowing behind her. "Elphie! I heard what happened! Are you all right?" she asked frantically. She stopped dead when she saw Vidaya. "What is she doing here?" Glinda asked icily.

"Hello to you too, Glinda," responded Vidaya just as coolly. Elphaba quickly filled Glinda in.

"How good of you to come and make sure everything was all right," remarked Glinda.

"Someone had to do something," said Vidaya.

An awkward silence followed. The two blondes glared at one another. Finally, Elphaba cleared her throat.

"It's very late, and I'm not feeling very well. I would like to try and get some more sleep. I hate to throw you out like this," she said.

"Don't be silly. You just call me if you need anything," Glinda replied.

"I'm going to find my daughter," Vidaya told her.

"Thank you again. I don't know what I would do without you both."

Her two friends left her alone with her family. Liir sat beside her.

"Are you sure you're ok, Mom?" he asked.

Elphaba put her hand on his knee. "I'm fine, Liir. Thank you for taking care of your sister. I was shaking so much."

Her throat felt tight. She didn't feel safe anymore. She wished Fiyero would get back. Leina began to fuss, so Elphaba took her from Liir. She calmed down when Elphaba began humming softly. Fiyero came back a little while later.

"What did you do about Keahn, Dad?"

"I had some of the warriors take him to the Palace to lock him up."

"What about Jiana?"

"Her mother is back now, so she will be taken care of," Elphaba told him.

"I'm going to go over there to see if she's ok."

"Be careful," Fiyero warned.

Elphaba put Leina in her crib. She crossed to the window and stared into the distance. Her arms were folded across her chest. Fiyero watched her quietly. The crickets chirped a midnight serenade. A single tear splashed on Elphaba's hand, startling her. She didn't realize she had been crying again. She used her sleeve to wipe away the painful moisture.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Fiyero, breaking the silence between them.

Elphaba didn't answer at first. She wanted to tell him what Keahn had tried to do, but thinking about it terrified her. She didn't want to imagine what might have happened if she hadn't broken free. Her legs felt weak, and she had to steady herself on the window ledge. She took a few breaths to regain her composure before turning to face Fiyero. She took one look at his anxious face and the whole incident came tumbling out. He held her hand and wiped her tears away while she spoke.

"He will never come near you again. I promise you that. It's over now," Fiyero said softly.

Elphaba leaned her forehead against his wearily. "You should get some more sleep, Fae."

Elphaba slowly nodded her head. She allowed Fiyero to carry her to the bed and tuck her in. When she was comfortable, Fiyero joined her. It wasn't long before Elphaba snuggled up against him like a child who had just had a bad dream. He held her protectively and watched her drift into a pained sleep.