A/N: DefyGravity107 – I'm glad you think the strands of the story are gelling together well! That's one thing I was worried about so I appreciate you saying it's working well.

Every review/favourite/follow I get keeps me going you guys! It makes me so happy that people are enjoying this story.

Elphaba watched Nessa and Fiyero from the window. She couldn't help it. They were circling Mama's pond together – the one where she and Fiyero had met Khanija. Frex shadowed them several paces behind; far enough, like he had promised, that they were afforded some privacy. Elphaba was certain, however, that he was close enough to hear every word they said.

Fiyero was pushing Nessa's chair slowly, leisurely. She could see, even from this distance, that Nessa was babbling away happily. She was happy to see that her sister and the prince were getting along. At least, she was pretty sure she was happy.

Mostly, however, she noticed Fiyero. She noticed how the light caught in his hair, and how his figure was tall and strong. She noticed the look of pleasant enjoyment on his face, as if he were relishing the gentle late morning sun, but also the slight tightness in his expression that was just barely noticeable. She noticed that he kept inclining his head slightly to the side, as if he were hyper-aware of the Governor walking not far behind them.

She was suddenly struck by a pang of inexpressible sadness as she watched them.

Where had that come from? What had caused it? She was glad, she insisted to herself. Glad to have the house to herself, as Frex was outside, and therefore could not be anywhere near her. Glad to see Nessa enjoying herself, and to have the opportunity to look at Fiyero unobserved. This was becoming something of a favourite pastime for her. She rarely saw the prince during the day, heavy laden as she always was with housework. When she did see him though, if only for a moment as he passed from one room to another, conversed with Nessa, asked Mareem for some refreshment, descended the stairs, or walked past a window, her eyes would follow him until he passed out of her sight. She enjoyed cataloguing the expressions on his face as he laughed at one of Mareem's jokes, or looked self-consciously away whenever the Governor stared at him for too long, or gazed off into the distance as if he were somewhere else entirely.

The desire to talk to him was pressing. There was so much she wanted to ask him. Why was he so willing to help her and the Animals? Why was there a part of him she could see that was hurting, while he constantly tried to hide it? She wouldn't ask though. She would settle for just being able to talk to him. That need seemed to be getting fiercer every time they did talk.

It puzzled her, a little. Elphaba had never had friends – that, she allowed. She'd never had a brother, or potential brother either. Sometimes she would imagine what it would be like to have a friend. And occasionally, what it would be like to have a brother. She'd never imagined that it would be quite like this. But then she had nothing to compare it to.

Reluctantly, she turned away from the window when she saw Fiyero and Nessa taking a turn to return to the house, Frex not far behind them.

She had been in the middle of polishing the mantlepiece when her attention was arrested outside. To this task she returned. Not much dust had accumulated there, as she was expected to dust it twice a day for the duration of Prince Fiyero's stay. Nonetheless, Frex would be certain to detect some fault there if she dared to skip. With a sigh, she glided the duster over the near-immaculate surface, turning the duster over in her hand and examining it idly every once in a while, with just a touch of sarcasm, to see whether any dust had magically appeared.

There were soft voices outside the door as they entered from the garden, which filtered away after a minute or two. Then the silence was abruptly broken as Frex entered the parlour. Startled, Elphaba's head whipped around to face him. His eyes were stormy, and his face like stone. "Elphaba, come here."

Curtsying shakily, she placed the duster down and took a few steps towards him, stopping before she could get too close for comfort.

"My office. Now."

He turned on his heel, clearly expecting her to follow. She swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat, but followed meekly.

They entered her Father's office, and he shut the door behind them, turning to face her. "I want to know something," he spoke, "and I want an honest answer."

Elphaba nodded slowly, her trepidation growing with every second.

Frex was quiet for a moment, studying her. "I want to know why Prince Fiyero kept smiling at you during breakfast," he said, scowling darkly.

Elphaba's stomach dropped. She hadn't thought he had noticed that. What on earth would he say? What would he think if he knew about their budding friendship, when he had explicitly stated that he did not expect any relationship to be harboured between them? Did he know about that already? He couldn't possibly know they were trying to help the Animals. Could he?

"I..." she faltered, licking her lips desperately as she tried to think of something to say that would placate him. "I don't know." Her thoughts failed her.

Frex's scowl deepened. He took a step towards her, and she flinched instinctively. "You were smiling at him back, too. I hope you are clear that I do not want you interfering with the matter between His Highness and your sister. I want all contact between you and the Prince kept to a minimum. He requested your presence at breakfast, and as a reasonable host, man, and provider for you, I allowed it." He came closer, looming over her now. "But I will not permit my Nessarose's chances with him to be at all hindered by you if you offend His Highness in any way, or Heaven forbid, get ideas about him yourself."

Elphaba found herself pressing against the wall as Frex kept moving forward, pushing her back so she had no room to escape. Her mouth was dry and she fought the need to squeeze her eyes tightly shut, instead forcing herself to maintain eye contact.

Frex caught hold of her wrist, and she bit back a cry as he squeezed hard, his nails biting into her skin. "I do not know why Prince Fiyero would take an interest in you, so as to want to be friendly with you. If he knew what a monster you were, he would surely not be so tolerant. And I want him to stay unaware of your wickedness. I do not ever want to see any kind of familiarity between you and the Prince again. Is that clear?"

Elphaba's breaths were coming hard and fast. She nodded weakly, her head beginning to swim. The sound of a sharp slap made its way into her consciousness, and when she felt a hot sting in her cheek, she realised he had backhanded her. A small gasp escaped her lips, and she accidentally looked too closely into his eyes. They were empty and black, like the darkened sky on the great and terrible Day.

…

Elphaba was not allowed to join them for lunch that day. Or dinner. Or any meal for the next week. Not that she had expected any differently, of course. But the fact had greater poignancy after Frex had made clear to her just how serious he was that no relationship be formed between her and Fiyero, future brother-in-law or not. The only thing that had been almost laughable about the whole thing was Frex's implication that any romantic attachment could ever form between them. Elphaba had been under no illusion beforehand that she was the least bit desirable, and Frex had driven that point ever deeper. Or at least, if would have been laughable if she weren't so miserable. Laughter seemed a moot point.

She had avoided Fiyero's gaze for days. That was harder to do than she had expected. She missed him – this, she could not deny. She hadn't even caught a glimpse of him. All it took was for her to catch sight of his shadow, or hear his voice, and she fled. If running away were not possible, she kept her eyes trained on the floor, and ignored his every attempt to draw her into conversation, or otherwise catch her attention.

That was perhaps the most painful.

Yes, she missed him. But she feared Frex more.

Elphaba and Mareem were preparing dinner one night when Fiyero stormed into the kitchen. "Mareem," he huffed, "can you please tell Elphaba to talk to me?"

Elphaba's head snapped up in astonishment, as she almost dropped the knife she was holding – turnip all but forgotten. She turned to look at Mareem, bewildered, and noticed the old woman's eyes sparkling in amusement. Mareem wiped her hands with a towel and sauntered around the table to where he had come in. "Hmm, mighty bold, aren't we young man? An' what might ye want t' talk t' Elphaba for?"

Fiyero rubbed the back of his neck nervously, head hanging slightly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he began. "I just want to talk. It's been a week and..."

Mareem chuckled throatily. "Can't get my young friend's attention, am I right?"

Fiyero blushed, Elphaba noted with surprise.

Mareem turned to address Elphaba, but the green girl quickly looked down, pushing her glasses further up her nose and abandoning chopping the vegetables. She brushed past Fiyero hastily to exit the kitchen, fighting frustrated tears. She wished he would leave her alone. It would make everything so much easier.

"Elphaba, wait!"

She ignored him. Why couldn't he leave her be? Stupid prince.

He caught up with her, grasping her arm to halt her movement. She whirled around, annoyance beginning to spill out of her. Still, she bit her tongue, Frex's voice haunting her in the back of her mind. "I'm sure my sister would appreciate your company right now, Your Highness," she tried to speak as mildly as possible, but was chagrined to detect a tremor in her voice.

He looked pained, and she had to look away to avoid reacting to the clear hurt brimming in his blue eyes. "I just spent the last two hours keeping Nessarose company. I want to see you. And why are you calling me 'Your Highness' again? I thought we were friends."

Elphaba bit her lip. "You are here for my sister, not me."

"I know! I'm here to court Nessarose – yes, that's all anyone keeps telling me," his voice rose in pitch. "Is it so wrong to want to spend time with you too? Why, did I do something wrong?"

Elphaba looked up at that. Maybe it was the way his voice caught at the question. He was watching her beseechingly.

Her chin trembled. "No, of course not."

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

She shut her eyes tightly. "I can't. I'm sorry, I just...can't. Please leave me alone."

He tugged her back around when she tried to escape. His hand still hadn't left her arm. "Why?" he asked quietly, sounding suddenly very vulnerable.

A small tear escaped her eye, but she brushed it away before he could notice. "Leave me alone, Fiyero." Her voice cracked. Traitor.

She wasn't sure what she expected him to do, but in the end, he didn't get a chance to respond, as that was when Mareem caught up with them. She coughed to catch their attention. "Your 'ighness, give us a minute won't you? Don't leave. Jus' go back t' the kitchen for a moment."

Elphaba sighed in relief as Fiyero loosened his grip on her. He breathed deeply. "Okay."

She and Mareem were left alone. "Now," Mareem began, all business, turning Elphaba gently by the shoulders to face her. "Why don't ye tell me what this is all about?"

Elphaba stared down at the floor miserably. "There's nothing much to tell."

Mareem clucked. "Now, now. I know that's not true." She tilted the young girl's chin upwards. "Has the Prince upset you?"

Elphaba laughed shortly without humour and shook her head. "No. Nothing like that."

Mareem hummed. "Then p'rhaps the Governor ain't happy with Prince Fiyero's clear fondness for you, is that it?"

Elphaba's breath caught. How was it that the old woman had hit the nail straight on the head?

Her silence said it all. "I thought so," Mareem said thoughtfully.

"I hurt him," Elphaba confessed. "I didn't mean to do that. I just..." she faltered. "I'm scared," she admitted in a small voice.

Suddenly, she found herself wrapped in Mareem's arms. "Ye don't have to live in fear of the Governor ye know, lass," she said tenderly.

Elphaba stepped back, eyes flashing with ire. "And what am I supposed to do, Mareem? Nothing I do ever pleases him. I work for him every day until I drop, and he still takes pleasure in making me as miserable as possible. I have no one, except you and Nessa. I've never had a friend my own age. And the minute I think I might just have found a friend, he takes that from me too." Her arms curled around herself protectively. "So I ask you, what am I supposed to do?"

Mareem was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Leave it with me, lass. Can ye do that?"

Elphaba sniffed and regarded her questioningly. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. But leave it with me. Do as yer Father says for now, okay? Let old Mareem deal with it," she tapped her nose, smiling a little wickedly.

…

As it turned out, her answer came in the form of Nessa.

"Father," Nessa beseeched later that evening, lowering her tone in a way that made her sound like a wounded puppy. She spoke just loudly enough for Elphaba to be able to hear her from outside the parlour, her ear pressed against the door. "Father, do you love me?"

Elphaba heard the rustling of Frex's garments as if he'd risen from his chair in haste. "Of course, my darling," he assured her, sounding slightly frantic. "Whatever would make you think I don't love you?"

Nessa paused, drawing out her answer. "It's just... I so would like for Prince Fiyero to get to know Fabala. He may be her brother soon, and it would mean so much to me to have her approval."

Frex sighed heavily. "Elphaba is a curse, my darling. She caused you to be born the way you are. It is because I love you that I want her to stay away from the Prince."

"I know, but..." Elphaba could almost hear Nessa's lip trembling. "It means a lot to me, Father. I want them to get along. If they had no relationship at all, I do not think I could bear it."

"Nessa, my precious rose." He was begging now. "Please understand. I only want to protect you."

"Would you allow us to all spend time together? Prince Fiyero, Fabala and I? I do not want to disappoint you, Father."

"Oh, Nessa." His voice sounded muffled. "You could never disappoint me. Well, if it means that much to you, I promise to think about it."

Nessa's voice immediately brightened with hope.

"Really? Oh, thank you, Father. Thank you so much!" Softer, she whispered, "I love you, Papa."

"I love you too, Nessa. So much."

Elphaba left with a bittersweet feeling in the pit of her stomach.

...

Elphaba did not see Fiyero again until the next day. She had decided to search through the library for any spell books, since she had some spare time that evening. Oz knew she would have to go back to see the Animals at some point, and she couldn't stand the thought of having to go back to them without anything further to help them with. Her magic was largely a realm of unventured territory. She really had no idea what might be the extent of her power, but she was hoping that any spell books they owned might be a good place to start. Of course, it would have been easier if she'd had Fiyero to help her. But she was still banned from talking to him.

The conversation she'd overheard between Nessa and Frex played over in her mind, though. Had Mareem put Nessa up to this? Quite possibly. It was a genius idea, really. If Frex was likely to listen to anyone, it would be Nessa. She had heard no more about it however, and Frex had made no move to speak to her, or otherwise indicate he was rethinking things.

With a sigh, she tried to push everything to the back of her mind and focus on the task at hand.

To her surprise, she had found quite a few books on sorcery. They were old and dusty, and it seemed as if their existence had been quite forgotten. Chewing her lip, Elphaba placed the books on a table next to her favourite sofa.

Giving up after searching for about an hour, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and considered what she'd found. It wasn't much, but it was more than she'd had this morning. That had to count for something. Settling herself comfortably on the sofa, with her foot wedged under her leg, she picked up the book on the top of the pile and cautiously opened it.

The pages were filled with a strange, unfamiliar language that Elphaba was sure she had never come across before. Curiously, she followed the script with her finger, oddly fascinated by the words jumping out at her. She brushed her fingertips over the spell on the first page, which appeared to be some sort of invisibility spell. It was strange. The words seemed to pulse with life when she touched them – not in a way she could see, but it was almost as though they were trembling with a kind of buzzing energy. If she lifted her hand off the page, would the words follow her?

She turned the page. This one was for transportation. She thought it would only take her so far – probably no further than a few metres away, but it was an interesting concept.

Enthralled, she consumed the magic available in the books with a hunger she didn't know she possessed. Whether any of it could help the Animals, she didn't know. But it was the closest she had ever come to feeling like she had some control over this curse she was born with. Like she could do something with it. Maybe.

She was so spellbound that she almost jumped a mile when she heard the soft click of the library door opening. When she looked up, she saw Fiyero poke his head around the door, as if he were looking for something. When he smiled, her heart flipped. "Hey, Elphaba. Um," he stepped inside and closed the door. "I was actually looking for you. Is it ok if I join you?"

He was met with silence. Elphaba closed the book with a bang and placed it back on the table. She made to leave the room, but guessing her intention – perhaps by some sixth sense – Fiyero lurched forward and grabbed her arm. "Oh no you don't," he warned. "You aren't walking out on me again, Miss Thropp."

"Leave me alone."

"Not going to happen," he said almost cheerfully. Before she knew what was happening, he'd pushed her firmly back down onto the sofa, and she squeaked in surprise when he sat beside her, grasping both of her shoulders to keep her there. He seemed unperturbed by the way she fought him like an animal.

"I'm staying here," he announced, letting go of one of her shoulders to pick up the book she had put down, examining it with a grin. "And I'm going to help you look through your sorcery books. I won't hear a cheep out of you about it. You're going to sit here, and we're going to talk. Any questions?"

She glared at him. "Yes, actually. Are you familiar with the concept of personal agency in a relationship?"

He looked amused. "Is that Elphaba-speak for 'Go back to whatever hole you came from and die'?"

She huffed. "I believe I've made it very clear that I want you to back off, Tiggular. What, you think I want to be alone? You think I want to push away the one person I might actually be able to consider a friend? You know nothing about this. I can make my own decisions, and I demand that you don't speak to me again."

"I'm confused. You just said you want me around and told me to get lost in the same breath."

"I'm telling you that I don't hate you! I'm saying that you're actually one of the best people I know, and I hardly know you at all. But you have no idea what you're getting into by talking to me. You don't know what he'll do to me if he finds out!"

"Slow down," he watched her closely. "Don't talk about things you don't know about. I know more about this than you're aware, though I admit, there's much I'd like you to enlighten me about. Don't growl at me, please."

Reluctantly, she bit back the growl she had indeed let slip.

"Now," he continued, in a softer voice. "What will who do to you?"

She bit her lip and stayed stubbornly quiet.

"Let's try something else, then," Fiyero said, so gently now that she was taken aback despite herself. "I want you to know that Mareem explained to me why you've been avoiding me for the past week. I'm not happy about that, you know. You deserve better than to be treated that way."

Elphaba met his eyes, astonished.

He watched her seriously. "Mareem spoke to Nessarose. The Governor has agreed to allow us to spend time together, providing Nessarose is also present."

"So what do you call this then? Is Nessa present here now? If I turn around will I see her spirit watching us?"

He ignored her sarcasm. "I never said that was all the time I wanted to spend with you. I intend to find ways for us to talk without Nessarose there, and without the Governor knowing."

Fear gripped her more with every word he spoke, but to her frustration, she found that it was getting harder and harder to keep snapping at him when he spoke like this. Maybe it was the infuriating calmness in his voice, but all of the fight in her fled the longer he kept talking.

"Like now?" She may as well admit it. Her voice sounded like a child's, it was so lacking in bite.

"Like now," he nodded, smiling.

She couldn't help it. She smiled back.

"So," the playfulness in his tone was back, and he let go of her shoulder, reaching for the book she had just been reading. "What's this, then?"

She paused, thoughtfully, considering whether to let him in. "I was just looking for spells. You know, for the Animals."

He hummed. "I suspected as much. Have you found anything?"

"I've just started. But there are some things in there that I might be able to use. I don't know how helpful they would be, exactly, but..."

"Well, what did you find?"

She smiled a little wider, taking the book from him and opening it. "An invisibility spell. A transportation spell."

Fiyero tilted his head, intrigue showing on his face. "Really? That's cool."

"I'll have to keep looking to see if I can think of any ideas."

"I'll help," he grabbed hold of the next book on the pile. "You look through that one, and I'll have a look in this one."

She readily agreed.

They spent the better part of two hours there, hardly talking except to exchange a remark or two about what they found. There was nothing that she had yet found that could directly solve their problem, but Elphaba was more than excited about all the possibilities for how she could use her magic. It may not tackle the larger issue at hand, but one never knew what could come in handy. She was also struck, by the end of the two hours, when she realised that this was perhaps the most peaceful she could remember ever being. With Fiyero right beside her, not saying much of anything, but just being present, helping her, she felt almost... happy.

It was Fiyero who finally broke the silence. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

She looked up in surprise. "What kind of question?"

"Just one question. There's a lot I've been wondering about, that so far you've neglected to tell me. Do you think you could give me just one answer?"

Elphaba's eyes narrowed, and Fiyero sighed.

"Okay then, well, how about if you ask me a question? You don't have to answer anything I ask you, but you can ask me just one question of your own."

Elphaba stared at him, puzzled. "Why?"

He shrugged. "How can I expect you to open up to me if I won't open up to you?"

"So this is like a bargain?"

"No. In fact, you can ask me all the questions you want, and I won't expect you to tell me a single thing if that's what you prefer."

"I don't know what to ask you."

He smiled wryly. "How about I offer information then?"

Elphaba shrugged, but put down the book next to her in interest. "If you want."

Fiyero nodded, drumming his fingers against the book in his lap. "I like painting."

Elphaba snorted in amusement. "What, that was your big reveal?"

"Hey," he protested. "I've never told anyone that before!"

She tilted her head. "Really? Why?"

Fiyero gave her a lopsided grin. "Painting isn't very manly."

She rolled her eyes. "I see."

"So you're in a very privileged position right now, Miss Elphaba."

She placed a hand over her heart. "My. What an honour."

Fiyero chortled.

"Could I ask you another question, Fiyero?"

The prince gasped in mock horror. "Absolutely not! You've already had your glance into my soul for the day. Ask me again tomorrow. You can have one question and answer a day. That's your quota."

Elphaba couldn't hold back a grin. "Whatever you say, Your Highness."

His smile was radiant.

A/N: Sigh. I do so enjoy the Fiyeraba friendship almost-romance feels. It gives me life.