The royal couple had never seen their son as distressed as he was in the days following the ball. They tried to admonish him for the way he had ignored all of the beautiful maidens present, but he stayed silent. They mentioned Princess Sarima, but he did not respond. They reminded him that he had promised to choose a future bride – and he gave them a look so hollow that they did not have the heart to pester him anymore. It was rather apparent that the matter involved the tardy maiden clad in emerald, who had left behind nothing but a pair of jeweled slippers and a brokenhearted prince; and the royal couple – knowing their son's stubbornness – decided, instead of persuading, to try understanding.
It took much patience and many careful questions before Fiyero finally caved and told his parents about the strange encounter he had had in the woods many weeks before. The royal couple were astonished, but the way their son's face lit up when he talked about the mysterious girl made it difficult to doubt his honesty; and his words made it apparent how much that relationship had changed him. If this was the maiden Fiyero wanted to marry, this was the maiden they were going to find. The jeweled shoes were sent around the land in hopes of locating those who could possibly be the mysterious girl, but the search party returned to the palace empty-handed, with a shocking message. In the entire kingdom, not a single maiden had been found who would be able to put on the slipper.
Increasingly concerned, the king and the queen summoned their son. They took one look at him, noticing that the light had disappeared from his eyes, and it became clear to them that they only had one move left; that these were desperate times that called for desperate measures.
"Fiyero," the king addressed his son in a serious voice. "Do you love this girl?"
The prince was only able to respond with a nod, but that answer was enough for his father.
"Then you will go to that forest clearing and you will find her."