Yes, that was a Fiyeraba dent. And your reviews made me chuckle, and in PocketSevens' case, made me cackle. Fiyero and Elphaba are both being children.

LifelongLeahstar: You want to know the ending?! We haven't even reached the climax yet.

"Release me at once!" Elphaba shouted as Fiyero continued to pull her through the halls of the palace.

Fiyero honestly didn't know why he was still trying to help the princess. She had fired him. Well, he had quit, but only because she fired him first. The last thing he needed was for someone to see the princess' bloodied face and him dragging her through the halls. He just wanted to make it out of the palace before he found himself in the Southstairs.

"I said release me!" Elphaba shouted again. "Release me right now or I'll scream!"

"Scream even louder than you are right now?" Fiyero muttered.

Elphaba growled and Fiyero heard her inhale a long breath before she let out in a high-pitched scream. He had no other choice but to let her arm go and cover his ears to avoid going deaf.

"What in Oz's name is going on out here?"

Fiyero looked up and saw Galinda, Morrible, the Wizard, and a few maids hurrying down the hallway. This is just what he needed right now.

"Fabala!" the Wizard gasped, seeing his injured daughter.

"Great sweet Oz and Lurline!" Galinda gasped, seeing Elphaba's bloodied face and hurrying over to her. "Your Highness, what happened?"

"Captain, explain this!" the Wizard barked, pushing Galinda aside and cradling his daughter in his arms.

Fiyero blinked. How was he going to explain what happened? Was anyone going to believe him? He technically didn't have to because he wasn't the captain anymore, but again, he didn't want a one-way ticket to the Southstairs. "There was a wild bear in the gardens. It attacked the princess before I had a chance to get her away," he explained calmly.

"How could you have let this happen?" the Wizard barked, giving Elphaba to Galinda and ordering her to get her cleaned up. "Where were you when all of this was happening?"

"I tried, Your Ozness, but –"

"You tried? You aren't supposed to try! What if the bear had killed her? How did a bear even get into the gardens?"

"I will look into that directly, Your Ozness," Morrible said with a bow and a sideways look at Fiyero before hurrying away.

"You were supposed to protect my daughter," the Wizard said, still glaring at Fiyero. "I am very disappointed in you, Captain Tigulaar."

The captain noticed that the Wizard had gone from 'angry-all-powerful-Wizard' to 'upset, concerned father'. He had softened slightly and sounded a bit older. "I'm sorry I have failed you, Your Ozness," he said with a slight bow. "It won't happen again."

"I know it won't."

"Because I resign from my position as captain."

The Wizard actually took a step back. "What?"

"I humbly resign from my post as captain," Fiyero repeated.

"You… you don't have to do that. I wasn't going to fire you."

"Please, Your Ozness, as much as I have enjoyed being in your services, this job…" The captain had a sudden flashback to the day his sister was struck by the carriage, but he blinked the memory away, "just isn't a good fit for me."

The Wizard blinked, trying to think of a way to get Fiyero to reconsider. He sensed that it was something deeper than what had just happened, and nothing would have convinced Fiyero to change his mind. "Very well. I'm sorry, Captain."

"I am as well, Your Ozness," Fiyero said with another bow and hurried away to pack his belongings.

"Dear Oz, Elphaba," Galinda whispered as she led the princess to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "How much does it hurt?"

"Not much," Elphaba muttered, allowing the blonde to sit her down on the stool.

Galinda grabbed a soft cloth and wet it with cold water. Turning, she gently began to wipe the princess' face. "I'm sorry," she said when Elphaba winced. "What happened, Elphaba?"

"The captain is a savage beast," Elphaba huffed.

"He did this to you?!" Galinda gasped, taking a surprised step back.

"No… he didn't. At least, not directly."

"What do you mean 'not directly'?"

Elphaba sighed as she recounted the story to Galinda. The blonde sighed softly as she rinsed the blood off the cloth and applied the healing ointment on the cuts.

"Well, it looks like the blood was more superficial than damaging, but Elphaba, what were you thinking? Going up to a bear like that!"

"The bear wasn't dangerous, Galinda. And it might have been a Bear."

"How do you know?"

"Because she was trying to speak to me."

"Either way, bear or Bear, you shouldn't have just gone up to it. Especially after the captain told you not to."

"He is not the boss of me," Elphaba bristled.

"He is here to protect you, Elphaba. He is trained for situations like this. You should have listened to him."

"Are you blaming me?" Elphaba scowled, narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "He was going to shoot her either way, so I had to try something."

"You tried to get yourself killed." The blonde calmed and gently took Elphaba's green hands in her own. "Elphie, you have a big heart. That's one of the things I admire about you. But sometimes, you have to take into account what your head is saying, not just your heart. You could have been seriously injured. Or Captain Tigulaar could have been injured as well. The point is… you have to be more careful."

Elphaba was silent. She knew that her friend was right. She just didn't want to admit it just yet. "I knew I could have helped her. What if she had cubs?"

"She was still an animal, Elphaba, whether she could speak or not. She still could have killed you, even if it wasn't her original intention. Fiyero still saved your life."

"I can take care of myself," the princess huffed.

"I never said you couldn't. I'm saying that you should have just listened to Captain Tigulaar."

"I just wanted to help."

"I know you did. But…" The blonde stopped. There wasn't anything she could say that she hadn't already said or that wouldn't lead to an argument. "I… I don't want to see you get hurt," was what she decided on, signaling an end to the conversation.

Elphaba frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. The blonde smiled softly and helped her to her feet, guiding her out of the bathroom and back to her bedroom.

"Try to get some rest," Galinda said, opening the door and leading her inside. "Do you want anything?"

The green girl shook her head.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Another head shake.

"Okay," the blonde said and gently wrapped her arms around her friend. "Goodnight, Elphie."

"Goodnight, Glin," the princess said half-heartedly, yet returned the hug.

Fiyero was grumbling to himself as he packed his bags. He shoved his shirts into one of his suitcases and slammed it shut. Why did he always have to mess things up? Why couldn't he do anything right? Why couldn't he protect the ones he loved?

That last question was more about his sister than about Elphaba. Out of all the people he pictured loving, Elphaba was the last person on that list. Especially after what she had said to him. She barely knew him. She had no right to say those things to him.

But she was right.

He couldn't protect his sister. Even though it wasn't his fault, and there was nothing he could have done, he still felt guilty. Maybe if he had scarred her boyfriend more when they first started dating, they wouldn't have gone on that date that ended both of their lives. If he had been outside to meet them, he could have stopped them from crossing the street in front of the carriage. If he had –

"Captain Tigulaar," a soft voice asked, knocking on his door.

Sighing, he went to the door and opened it. Galinda was standing on the other side, fresh linens in her hands. She smiled softly at him, but frowned when she saw the look on his face. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Lady Galinda," Fiyero said, trying not to sound gruff… and failing.

The blonde looked past him to the suitcases on his bed. "Why are there… where are you going?"

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"I'm leaving. I have resigned as Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Why?"

"Because it's not the right job for me."

"But you've been doing a great job. Just because of what happened tonight –"

"This isn't just about tonight," Fiyero said as he walked back to his bed, and Galinda followed him, closing the door behind her. "This is about me realizing that…"

"Realizing what?" Galinda asked softly, placing the sheets on Fiyero's dresser before going over to him.

"I'm not good at protecting people."

"Yes, you are. Princess Elphaba is very stubborn. You're not the first person she hasn't listened to. You should have seen her argue with the old captain."

"This isn't just about that."

Galinda paused. "May I tell you a story?"

"If you don't mind me finishing up packing at the same time," Fiyero said as he grabbed his shoes.

"Around two and a half years ago, Elphaba gave a speech at a hospital opening in the outer city. Captain Ryso, the captain before you, went with her. After the speech, Elphaba wanted to stay and talk to the people, but Captain Ryso advised her against it. Elphaba didn't listen to him and, despite her emerald skin, soon became lost in the crowd. A few clock-ticks later, gunshots rang out. People were screaming and running in all directions and Captain Ryso nearly had a heart attack trying to find her. When he finally did, he saw her on the ground and freaked out, but then realized she was shielding a small girl. She had a graze on her arm, and Captain Ryso pulled her up, ignoring her protest and pleas to help the child, and forced her into the carriage. She heard another gunshot and turned, seeing blood quickly pooling around the child she was trying to protect as the carriage quickly drove away."

Fiyero had stopped packing and listened to the blonde's story. He couldn't believe that Elphaba would have risked her life like that.

"If it wasn't for Captain Ryso, Elphaba could have been killed that day. Even though he was very angry with her for not listening to him, he still understood why she did what she did."

"Why did you tell me this?" Fiyero asked.

"Elphaba has a big heart, and that sometimes gets in the way of her common sense. Even though she always means well, sometimes it doesn't go the way she wanted it to."

"So what are you saying?"

"Talk to her. I know you both are mad at each other, but talk to her. And… please don't leave."

"I can't," Fiyero said after a short pause. "I can't talk to her."

"Why not?"

"I just… can't."

Galinda knew there was something the captain wasn't telling her, and she knew he wasn't going to. "Just… please don't leave."

"I have to. I can't stay here."

The blonde sighed in disappointment. "Goodnight, Captain."

"Goodnight, Lady Galinda." He watched as she walked towards the door. "Goodbye."

Galinda turned around, and Fiyero could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. "Goodbye," she whispered before leaving.

Elphaba had changed into her nightgown and was currently reading in her bed. Galinda's words haunted her mind and she couldn't help but feel bad. She knew that the blonde was right. She should have just listened to Fiyero, but he should have also listened to her. And she knew she shouldn't have said those awful things to him, especially about his sister. She was just… mad. She was mad and tired and scared and a whole bunch of other feelings. She regretted everything she had said to him. She had to make it right. She had to tell him that she was sorry and that she didn't want him to leave. Sighing, she got out of bed, put on her robe, and made her way to the captain's room.

It wasn't very late, but it was still dark. Elphaba could barely see, but she knew her home like the back of her hand. She slowly made her way down the hallway and maneuvered around the table she knew was in her way. She finally reached Fiyero's door and knocked.

She heard the sheets rustling on the other side and took a small step back just as Fiyero opened the door. He immediately frowned when he saw her and was about to close the door when she stopped him.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly, and Elphaba gulped down the lump in her throat.

"Can we talk?" she asked softly.

"I don't believe we have anything further to say to one another," Fiyero said, trying to close the door again.

Elphaba pressed her hand against the door, stopping him. "Then you can just listen to me."

"Haven't you said enough?"

"Captain –"

"Look, I get it. You hate me. And right now, I'm not your biggest fan, either; so can't we just agree to let my final night in the palace be as civil and peaceful as possible?"

"I don't want this to be your final night in the palace."

Fiyero raised his eyebrow.

"I'm sorry."

The captain scoffed. "You? Sorry?"

Elphaba bristled. "If you're going to be an ass about this, you can leave now."

"I'm already packed."

"Where will you go?"

"I can easily find another job."

"Not after people hear about how you failed to protect the princess of Oz."

"Excuse me?" Fiyero laughed dryly. "I failed to protect you? You refused to listen to me. It's not my fault you were being an arrogant, thoughtless, senseless, stupid -"

A loud slap resounded through the hallway. Fiyero stumbled back, a shocked look on his face as his hand flew to his stinging cheek. Elphaba's hand was still in the air, and Fiyero could see sparks of magic dancing around her fingertips.

"How dare you!" the princess hissed. "How dare you!"

The Vinkun slowly rose straightened and fixed a hard glare on the princess. "Like I said, if you had just listened to me, none of this would have happened. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep. I don't want to have to be under the same roof as you for longer than I have to, and I know you feel the same way about me."

The princess was about to fire back, but stopped. This wasn't how you apologized to a person. She took a deep breath to calm herself before trying again. "Wait! I'm sorry I slapped you. I… I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I don't hate you, you're not a savage beast or a murderer, and I'm truly, truly sorry for what I said about your sister. It was out of place and uncalled for… and very rude and inconsiderate of me."

Fiyero stared at the princess. "You... didn't call me a savage beast."

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Not to your face, at least."

Fiyero knew that the green girl was trying to lighten the tension, but he wasn't in the mood. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I forgive you. And I suppose I should apologize to. So… I'm sorry for what I said, but I'm not going to apologize for doing what I had to do to keep you safe."

"You don't need to apologize for that. I should thank you."

Fiyero shrugged. "It was my job."

"So… will you… come back?"

The Vinkun turned away.

"I… I would really appreciate it if you did. You're a good captain. We need you here. I… I need you here."

He turned back to the princess. She looked and sounded sincere, and Fiyero was actually beginning to believe that she actually was. He was about to say that he would continue to be the Captain of the Royal Guard and protect her, when suddenly, he no longer saw the emerald-skinned princess. He saw Lyanna, looking exactly the same as when he last saw her alive, with her long, curly, brown hair, green eyes, and freckles. She was wearing her favorite pink dress with the long, pleated skirt. He always remembered her smiling, but now, she wasn't smiling at him.

You couldn't save me. You couldn't protect me. Why would you protect her?

"Captain?" Elphaba whispered as Fiyero's vision of his sister vanished, leaving him staring at a green face, looking at him hopefully.

"I… can't," he whispered.

Elphaba blinked in surprise. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't."

"But you have to. I want you to."

"Well, maybe I don't want to protect you anymore," the Vinkun hissed, slamming the door and locking it.

#NiaHasNoChill Will they make up? Or will the not-yet-Fiyeraba drag out their argument for a bit longer?