She stretched out her arms and rolled over in a very large bed. The sheets beside her were warm, but unoccupied. What was going on? Alarmed, Elphaba sat up in a panic. "Hello?"
Footsteps neared her and the lamp beside the bed was switched on, forcing her to cover her eyes until she could get used to the shock of light in her vision. Fiyero stood by the bed and looked down at her tenderly. "I was beginning to think it wouldn't wear off. Thank Oz."
"What did you do?" She demanded, jumping out of bed.
"I didn't do anything. It was Glinda's spell. I wanted to surprise you and take you on a vacation over the holidays, and Glinda had this idea. The spell she used had you pretty much catatonic for the past three days. You could walk around if led, eat if fed, dress if given clothes, but you didn't speak or really do much." Fiyero shrugged.
"What? And what did you do to me while I was like that?"
"Absolutely nothing. We shared a compartment on a train, but there were two beds and we slept separately the entire time. I left the room whenever you dressed or cleaned yourself up. Elphaba, I'd never take advantage of you like that. Glinda made sure of that before even agreeing to learn that spell."
"Couldn't you have just put me in a blindfold?"
"You would've known we were going somewhere."
She folded her arms across her chest, finding that she was in a nightgown. "Where are we?"
He waved his hands around. "We're not quite in the Vinkus. This is the hotel my parents use the most, and we have the king's suite. It's almost dinnertime. Would you please get dressed and join me on the balcony in a few minutes?"
"All right," she said hesitantly. Fiyero left the room and she looked around. Her things were in the closet and the drawers on the right side of the bed. She wondered if she'd put them there or if Fiyero had. Examining them, she figured she'd had to have, because only she would have ordered them the way they were.
After further inspection, the bed proved to be adorned with pillows of the softest feathers she'd ever known. The mattress fit her body perfectly, though the imprint of her touch disappeared the moment she pulled her hand away from it. Though not expensive fine cloth, the blankets were nicer than most hotels' and the carpet was soft under her feet. No wonder this was the king's suite.
Digging through her things, she found a dress between her usual dresses that was bit more fancy than what she usually wore. Only Glinda could've picked it out and snuck it in there. She grumbled, "What were they? Both in on this little game?"
"Elphaba?" Fiyero called from another room. "Dinner's at the door. I'll have them set it up on the balcony for us. Hurry up, if you can."
"Okay, darling." She called back, wanting to puke at her own words. Elphaba never called him "darling", it had just seemed to fit the situation. Pulling the new dress from her closet, she changed out of her nightgown and into the sparkling halter, back-baring black dress that went down to her ankles. Gazing at herself in the mirror, she mumbled, "Wow…" Quickly, she slipped on some shoes and tried to slink elegantly through the rooms (there was more than one room to this suite?). Reaching the balcony, she gasped. "Fiyero, it's amazing."
"A feast. It's been hard to get you to eat." Fiyero was standing beside a small, private table on the spacious balcony. He took her hand graciously and led her to her chair, pulling it out. "Sit down, my love."
She sat down and smiled to herself as he pushed her chair in. Fiyero was in a suit, looking charming, as only a prince could. "You've certainly gone through some trouble to arrange all of this."
"Not as much as you think," he sat down across from her.
They ate, and when Elphaba was sure she was full, Fiyero rang for a waiter and ordered dessert. Elphaba protested meekly, insisting she'd explode if he fed her any more. But he had dessert brought out nonetheless. "You've never… how'd you know I liked…?"
"Nanny." He grinned. "Do you think I didn't have to get her to approve to this, too? Now come on. It's mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. You can't refuse."
Attempting daintiness, she took a small spoonful of ice cream and began to eat. "You never stop, do you?"
"Oh, I will, for the night, once we've had a good time, gone to bed, made love and I've gotten what I want."
"Are you saying what you want is sex?"
"Keep eating."
As odd as his response had been, she couldn't resist the delicious gourmet ice cream. Suddenly her teeth hit metal. She looked at her spoon, thinking perhaps a piece of it had broken off and had gotten into her mouth along with the ice cream she'd scooped into it. But the spoon was full and fine. What in Oz was in her mouth?
"Something wrong?" He asked.
She sucked until all that was left in her mouth was some sort of metallic tasting solid and spat it out into her hand. "Fiyero!"
"Okay, so not the cleanest way, but I can get it polished…" He placed his hand over her open palm and the golden band in it.
She let him take the ring from her. "I… what?" Elphaba blinked rapidly, bewildered.
Fiyero got up from his chair, holding out an open hand to stop her from rising, too. "I know you didn't like the idea of standing up as I kneeled, so I figured this might be a bit better." He kneeled beside her chair and took her hand, kissing it. "Elphaba, my sweet, my love, will you marry me?"
She gulped, looking at her hand, at his face, at the ring, at the table, at the night around them. Her hand went limp in his. Elphaba only stared at him.
He took a deep breath. "Okay. I was prepared for this. I understand. I shouldn't have rushed and asked you." Fiyero was about to draw his hand away.
"No. I mean, yes. I mean, no, you should've. And yes, I'll… well, yeah." She said quickly.
Fiyero's eyes lit up. "You'll marry me?"
At a loss for words, Elphaba nodded weakly.
He slipped the ring onto her finger and stood. Taking her other hand in his, he helped her to stand, as well. Fiyero ran his thumb along her chin. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.
"I was sure for a moment there you were going to refuse."
Elphaba smiled and nuzzled his cheek. "Never."
"You didn't seem to want to marry me earlier last year."
"I didn't want to talk about it. I never said I didn't want to for certain."
"It's a good thing I changed my strategy, then." He fastened both hands on each of her hips. "I was thinking we'd get married this summer, right after graduation."
"I was just thinking that marrying you this summer would be perfect." She whispered, just before he swept her into a sweet, drugging kiss. Fiyero got what he wanted.
Halfway through the next morning, just as Elphaba had gotten up and dressed, Fiyero snuck up behind her, slipping his hands around her belly. "This was only the first half of the trip. We leave for our second destination in an hour."
"Where?"
"Kiamo Ko. They're expecting at least me, if not you. I told them I'd return with or without you, depending on whether or not you accepted my proposal." He mumbled into her neck.
"How long?"
"Until about evening. We'll be there just in time for Lurlinemas Eve dinner."
"It's Lurlinemas Eve?"
Fiyero laughed, his voice vibrating against her skin. "Mmm hmmm."
"Oh. So your parents knew about this little vacation?"
"Sort of. They don't have any idea I refused the option of another twin bed in the next room and that I planned on making slow, sweet love to you after you accepted." He replied seductively.
"That lasted for hours," she tilted her head back and pressed her nose to his chin.
"I timed it," he informed her.
"Oh, you did?"
"I'm surprised we woke up so early, for the time we went to sleep."
"Did you track how many times I screamed?" She teased.
"As a matter of fact, I did. Five times."
She closed her eyes, "God, that was so good."
"Oh, wait, it was six, if you count the time before we actually were into it."
She slipped out of his grasp and turned around to face him. "When we're married, I want you to do that to me every night of our honeymoon, except even longer and make it seven." Elphaba challenged playfully.
"Believe me, I'll do more than that, and in every way possible."
The desire in his eyes made her weak at the knees. "I can't wait."
"Neither can I." Fiyero, struggling to soothe the hardening in the nether regions of his body, switched subjects; "I had the maid pack most of our bags earlier this morning. We'd better check the room over and then head out, though."
Elphaba eyed his trousers and giggled. "A little aroused?"
"Don't make it worse," he pleaded. "Really, we should get going."
"I don't think you want to leave the room like that."
"Which I why I said we should check to make sure everything's in order." Fiyero moved towards the bedside table and began going through the drawers.
Elphaba smirked to herself and headed to the closet. "Whatever you say."
After a few slams of drawers and sweeps of his hands, Fiyero turned to Elphaba, "We're good over here."
"Here, too." She affirmed. "Looking better," she commented, looking him up and down.
"Okay, then. Let's get moving."
"Make love to me in the carriage," she suggested, pulling him out of the room and down the hallway.
"Elphaba!"
"What?" She pouted.
"You never ask me to do that in such odd places."
"Well, today is different."
"What about the driver?"
"He sits on the outside of the carriage so he can handle the horses. We won't bother him."
"I'm sure your cries might attract some attention."
"Then tell him before we leave to ignore it, and that we're just married or something," she tried.
"He works for my family! He'll know we're not married."
"It's not like he'll tell your parents. Just tell him we've just gotten engaged and we're excited about it."
Fiyero rolled his eyes as he headed towards the front desk. "Checking out. King's Suite."
The clerk nodded. "The carriage is waiting just outside, sir."
Elphaba was skipping. She swung their hands when he took hers again. "Please, Yero? It's not my fault that I can't get enough of you."
"Are you saying I don't give you enough?"
"No, no, of course not. You give me more than enough. But that makes me want it more often. We'll be all alone…"
"You know I'm going to."
The carriage driver received quite a large tip.