Though the Vinkus had been peaceful for the past three decades or so, the Scrow tribe had randomly decided to start attacking Arjiki civilians whenever they could find one alone. The Arjiki tribe had no choice but to declare war. Fiyero's father had intercepted Elphaba and Fiyero on their way back from the cabin to inform his son of the oncoming battle. All men above the age of eighteen were expected to join the forces and assist in the war, including the king and princes. Two of Fiyero's younger brothers would actually be joining their father and eldest brother on the battleground, too.
Elphaba did not react well. She begged and pleaded with Fiyero not to go. He gently told her that she was being selfish, as she had once accused him of being. This was similar to her situation when she had wanted to run off into the city, except there was more than just conscience forcing him to go. They did not have a good night.
In the morning, when Fiyero's father came by on a horse waiting for his eldest son, Elphaba was there to see Fiyero off. She was quieter than usual and looked more subdued, like perhaps she'd taken a tranquilizer or something of the sort. Before he left, she asked weakly, "You won't be gone very long, right?"
Fiyero swallowed hard. "Elphaba… sometimes this sort of thing lasts for over a year. It's rare, but it does happen."
"All that time when it's just a bunch of men throwing punches?"
He lowered his eyes. "It's more than that, Fae." Fiyero took the spears and arrows his father handed him and placed them in the bags hanging over his horse's back. "We're not that behind, at least not in warfare."
Elphaba looked stricken. "You won't get hurt, will you?"
"I can't say for sure."
"Well, shouldn't you be the safest? I would think your men would protect you, as you're their prince and such."
"I have to be right up in the front of everything, leading them. I told you that." He said carefully. Fiyero caressed her cheek with his thumb and forefinger. "You know I don't want to go. I have to."
Elphaba threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. As tears streaked down her cheeks, she whispered, "I love you."
"I love you, too." He kissed her. Fiyero approached the group of guards that were outside. "If anyone so much as touches her in a way she doesn't like, you're all dead. Is that clear?"
The guards nodded solemnly.
He turned back to Elphaba and clasped her hand. "Bye." Fiyero mounted his horse and galloped off to follow his father.
When Fiyero was out of sight, Elphaba turned around and headed into the house, rejecting Perria's offer of a big, delicious breakfast, simply saying, "I didn't get a good sleep last night. I'm just going to take a nap."
In the master bathroom, with the guards outside the door as usual, she rifled through the medicine cabinet for some sleeping potion, drank a portion good enough to keep her out for about twenty hours and laid down in the bed to get some sleep.
After waking up, she ate some, wandered the house blankly and then took yet another dose of sleeping potion and did the same routine all over again. She did this for about two weeks until she ran out of potion.
"Perria!" She called, standing with the empty bottle of potion in the bedroom.
"Yes?"
"Could you get some more of this?"
"No."
Elphaba blinked. "Why not?"
"Because you've abused it enough already. It's not good for you to keep doing this, Mistress Elphaba."
"What if I said I don't care? You are supposed to do as I ask, aren't you?"
"Master Fiyero made me promise to make sure you took care of yourself, and I don't think this qualifies. His orders over yours, I'm sorry."
"I suppose saying 'please' isn't going to help?" Elphaba tried.
Perria shook her head. "He wouldn't like this, and you know that as well as I do."
Elphaba sighed heavily. She had no idea where the sleeping potion came from, and she couldn't very well go buy some herself. This was the price of being pampered, wasn't it? "But what am I going to do all day?"
"You used to spend all that time in the library. Why don't you go read something?" Perria prodded.
Elphaba shrugged. "I guess so." Followed by Alapedgio and Number Five, she headed upstairs into the library. She pulled out an old, worn book and cradled it in her arms. It was the book that Fiyero had bought back at Shiz as part of his attempt to resolve their fight. Lying back on the couch, she opened the book and began to read.
Fiyero's voice echoed in her head and she reached out to touch him, only then remembering where he was. She slammed the book shut and held it to her bosom, closing her eyes. "Please bring him back to me," she whispered, again and again, rocking back and forth, "Please."
Alapedgio and Number Five looked at one another. This wasn't healthy behavior and they knew someone was going to have to talk her out of there.
"I don't want to go in there." Number Five shook his head. "Look at her. I can't possibly imagine what in Oz makes her need that man so much."
Alapedgio agreed, "I don't know, either."
"You go." Number Five pushed. "I can't deal with that."
"That might not be a good idea…"
"Why not?"
Alapedgio couldn't say anything more. "Fine." He stepped into the room and walked up to the couch. Tenderly, he pulled the book out of Elphaba's arms. She snapped and lunged for the book, but he held it out of her reach. "Elphaba, you can't act like this."
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" She challenged.
"I'm no one. Whatever. But we can't let you do this to yourself."
"What does it matter to you?"
"It's my job. You know that. You're acting destructive." He put the book away and sat down on the couch as far away from her as he could manage. "Look, I understand you miss your husband…"
"You couldn't ever understand!" She growled.
"Then make me understand. Tell me."
"Why should I?"
"What else have you got to do, Elphaba?"
He had a point. Everything she tried to do led to her throwing some kind of fit. Still, she wasn't so sure she wanted to have this discussion. "You really aren't the person I'd want to talk to about this."
Perria came bursting into the room at the moment. "Mistress Elphaba, what on earth is wrong?"
"Perria, it was a nice idea, it was, it just… didn't work."
"Why don't you talk to Queen Elyria, honey? I'm sure she can understand. I was just coming in to tell you that she was here."
"Oh!" Elphaba straightened herself out and stood up. "I'll go see her."
Watching Elphaba walk down the stairs, Perria shook her head. To Alapedgio and Number Five, she said, "I have never seen that woman behave this way. She is never like this. She used to run away from Master Fiyero, and now she can't even manage to exist. I don't know what has gotten into her."
"Maybe it took her a while to realize how much she needs him." Alapedgio suggested.
"Maybe. She's just not a weak creature that way, though. I guess she must miss him like hell."
Alapedgio and Number Five trudged downstairs to follow Elphaba and stand in the doorway. She'd already entered the room and was sitting across from Elyria. "Hello."
The woman stood up and engulfed Elphaba in a hug. "I know you miss him."
Elphaba only nodded as the woman sat back down.
"Well, I have some sort of good news, then. During these times, when the tribe is at war, we open up the majority of the first floor of the castle as an infirmary to injured men." Seeing the look on Elphaba's face, she put a hand out, "No, Fiyero isn't hurt. But two or three of the healthier men are given the duty of foreseeing the safe return of the sick, injured and dead. Often the men send letters to their families through these men. I have something for you. I didn't read it. Oz only knows my son would write something scandalous that I would hate myself for reading." Elyria took a folded note out of her pocket and handed it to Elphaba.
"Oh, thank you!" Elphaba smiled down at the note – the first time she'd smiled at anything, Alapedgio noticed.
"Many of the women in the tribe spend a lot of time working in the infirmary, since we normally only have one doctor. I wanted to ask you if you'd like to join us."
That would give her something to do during the days, wouldn't it? "I'd love to. Well, not love to, but I'd… well, you know."
Elyria patted Elphaba's knee and stood. "I'm going to head back."
"I'll be over in an hour or so." Elphaba yearned to read the letter in privacy before doing anything else.
"I'll see you then. You can stay in the castle, if you like."
"I'll think about it." Elphaba said.
"See you soon."
The minute Elyria was out of the room, Elphaba clutched the letter to herself tightly and scooted over on a couch to get nearest a light. She unfolded it slowly. It was a piece of notebook paper, seemingly torn out from a journal of some sort.
"Fae,
I miss you. What more is there for me to say? Every night, when we've made camp and I'm covered in some scratchy blanket, I think about you… I always do. But I think about you the most when I've got nothing to do, at night. Every single part of my body aches for you. I could start from the top and tell you how. My eyes would do anything to see you, my ears to hear your voice. My nose would love to smell your hair right after you (or we) have showered. My mouth longs to kiss you, to talk to you, to taste you. My neck feels bare without your arms around it in an embrace. My arms want to hold you. My hands would delight in holding your hands, in washing you under the faucet of the shower. My fingers miss tracing each line, each curve of your body, they miss slipping into you, pleasing you. My chest needs you cradled against it… I realize if I go much farther… well, you know how some of my other parts miss you. Sweet Oz, I hope this reaches you before it reaches my mother!
Anyway, the fighting is going all right. My father and brothers are fine, though I can't say the same for all of our men. We lost one for the first time yesterday… I shudder to think that could have been any of us. Every time I see a spear, an arrow, even (rarely) a gun, I think about what it could do to me… how I have to get home to you. I mean, for Oz's sake, we haven't even had any children yet. I can't let something happen to me before that. I need to be around for so much more, for the next few years alone together, for the day I finally do father a child with you, for the day you hold our child in your arms, for the day he/she walks, talks… I'm upsetting myself, and surely upsetting you. I shouldn't talk this way. Fae, I miss you so much, though.
Love
always,
Fiyero"
Elphaba bit her lip and tried not to cry. She delicately refolded the note and placed it in her bedside table when she went upstairs, packing for a stay at the castle. It would be there when she needed it.
Right before following Elphaba over to the castle, Alapedgio snuck a look at the letter (he'd seen her put it in the drawer). He felt, for a moment, an immense self-hatred at having even tried to come between the two. Then he shook himself a bit, set his face and turned down the stairs.