Sorry this chapter is so late, everyone! I'm trying to get back into the college swing!
PocketSevens: LOL! Is Galinda going to let you out for good anytime soon?
Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Thank you. I am personally very proud of that part.
"Another report, Captain."
Fiyero bit back a groan as Morrible came into his office and dropped a packet on his desk. "What is it this time, Madame?"
"A Boar attacked the daughter of Rtar Myster on a train to Kvon Altar."
"Who is he?"
Morrible looked irritated, but sighed. "He is one of the most influential businessmen in the Inner City, Captain. You should know that by now."
"I'm sorry," Fiyero said, though he didn't really mean it. "But why should this be a concern of mine?"
"Any threat in the city could directly affect the Wizard and Princess Elphaba," Morrible said with a soft huff.
"But this is just a small –"
"This was most certainly not small, Captain. And anything can easily turn into a much bigger problem if not handled immediately.
"But why would a Boar…"
"That's enough questions, Captain," Morrible said dismissively, turning to leave.
Fiyero watched as the older woman left. For the past two months, there had been more and more cases of Animals causing trouble all over Oz, mostly in the Emerald City and other parts of the Gillikin. There were mostly cases of Animal robberies, but an Animal attacking someone…
He still didn't understand why Morrible was making him read through the reports. There wasn't really a lot he could do. He didn't really see anything as a threat to the royal family. He figured that Morrible knew something that he didn't know, and she wouldn't tell him, so he would just have to figure it out on his own.
Deciding that he needed a break, he pushed his chair away from the desk and stood, stretching as he did so. He walked out of his office and down the stairs, going into the parlor. He saw that the room was currently empty, and moved to sit back down on the sofa, but jumped back up, nearly seven feet in the air, when he felt something underneath him.
"Hello to you, too, Captain."
Fiyero turned just as Elphaba materialized on the couch. He simply stared at the princess, trying to get his heart to stop racing out of his body. "You… Your… what are you doing?"
"I am sitting on the sofa."
Fiyero knew the princess knew what he meant, and didn't know why she took such pleasure in scaring him like that. "Why were you invisible?"
"I didn't want anyone to know where I was. Plus, being invisible could come in handy some day; don't you think, Captain?"
"Oh, yes. Of course." Fiyero took a few deep breaths and calmed down. He had grown accustomed to Elphaba's magic, but that didn't mean that he wanted to always be on the receiving end of it.
"Is everything alright, Captain?"
"Everything is fine, Your Highness." He didn't see a reason to tell the princess about the Animal attacks. After all, it didn't affect her.
Elphaba narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing the Vinkun, but Galinda chose that moment to come in and tell Elphaba that it was time for lunch. Elphaba nodded and excused herself from the captain, following the blonde out of the parlor. Fiyero was left alone to his thoughts. Something was happening in Oz. Something beneath the surface was brewing. Something… bad.
"Captain, this letter arrived for you," a maid said as she knocked on Fiyero's door.
The Vinkun motioned for the maid to come in and held out his hand for the letter. "Thank you."
"Of course, Captain," the maid said as she curtsied and quickly hurried out.
Fiyero looked at the letter and saw that it was from his parents. Carefully tearing the envelope open, he opened the paper and quickly recognized his mother's neat, cursive handwriting.
Dearest Yero,
I'm so glad your job is going well. I know you are under a lot of stress and pressure right now, but it would be lovely to have you home for Lurlinemas this year. It's been such a long time since you've been home, and I don't mean to sound selfish, but I miss you. Your father does, too. Please understand that if you can't come home, we won't be offended. We know how important this job is to you. But please try. Please write back soon. Your letters have become so few-and-far-between. Again, I understand why but… I miss you, Yero. I miss you so much.
Please write back soon with your answer.
Your loving mother
The Vinkun bit his lip as he reread the letter. Of course he missed his parents. He wanted more than anything to go back to the Vinkus for Lurlinemas. He hadn't seen his parents in so long; he had always found an excuse not to go back home, even for the holidays. He always said that it was because he was so busy at work, even though he was encouraged to take off for the holiday, but everyone knew the real reason. It was because he didn't want to be reminded of Lyanna.
"Captain," a soft voice said, pulling him from his thoughts.
Fiyero looked up and saw Galinda standing in his doorway. "Lady Galinda?"
"Princess Elphaba and Miss Yulena have decided to have tea on the patio."
Fiyero nodded and stood. The Wizard was having a meeting with an ambassador from Quox, and he had brought his daughter, who was the same age as Elphaba. The two girls weren't best friends (Galinda had that spot), or even close friends, but they got along well enough together. Even though Fiyero knew he wasn't needed outside with the princess and the guest, it was still proper protocol from him to be there.
"You seem sad, Captain," Galinda said as the two of them walked together.
"I'm not sad. Just… conflicted."
"May I ask why?"
"My mother wrote to me saying she wanted me home for Lurlinemas."
Galinda smiled softly. "Then why are you conflicted?"
"I… I haven't seen my parents in around five years."
"Six years?" Galinda gasped. "Did something happen?"
"Well… yes. But it had nothing to do with them. It was… it was me. I just… needed to get out of the Vinkus and I never returned."
"Why? I mean, Of course, if you don't want to tell me, I understand. It's not my place and –"
"My sister died," Fiyero said with no emotion.
The blonde gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry. But… why don't you want to go home to your parents?"
"I just… I can't be reminded of her. It hurts too much."
"I understand," Galinda admitted softly as they turned the corner. "I have wonderful memories with my parents during Lurlinemas. They would let me help them decorate the tree, and then we would eat freshly baked cookies together. I would always ask them if I could stay up and wait for Lurline, and they would always tell me that I would fall asleep. I would always try to prove them wrong, but I would end up falling asleep anyway."
Fiyero looked down at the blonde and saw her wipe a tear away from her eye. "Are you… sad when you think about your parents?"
"Of course I am," Galinda said after a slight pause. "Every time I think about them, I'm reminded of what happened and of how much I miss them. But it also makes me happy."
"Happy?"
"I like remembering the happy times we shared together. All of the Lurlinemasses, birthdays, and every other special day we spent together is more special to me and has a different meaning now than it probably would have if they were still alive. I like thinking about those happy times. Surely you have special moments like that with your sister."
"YERO!" a little girl squealed as she hurried into her brother's room and jumped onto the bed.
"Oof! Lya!" the older boy frowned.
"Hi!"
"What are you doing in here?"
"I just wanted to tell you something."
"What's that?"
The little girl smiled brightly. "I love you."
The little boy couldn't help but smile. "I love you, too, Lyanna."
The little girl giggled and snuggled closer to her brother. The little boy quickly complied and wrapped his arms around his little sister. He barely had time to react before she pulled the covers over their heads and let out a very loud and unladylike fart.
"Evian oven!" she shouted, giggling as she heard her brother gag and cough.
"Lyanna!" he shouted, trying to untangle himself as he felt his sister jump off of the bed and heard her run away. "That's not fair! I'm the one who taught you that! You can't use it against me!"
"Yes, I have some good memories with my sister," Fiyero said, smiling at the memory.
"Then you should think about those, and not dwell on how she died," Galinda said. "I know that's what she would want you to do."
The captain had to admit, he felt better about going home for Lurlinemas. He really did want to see his parents again. He knew he would have to be at the palace for the Lurlinemas Eve ball, but he could ask to leave right after that. "Thank you, Lady Galinda," he said sincerely, making up his mind as the two reached the patio doors.
Galinda smiled, knowing that she had made a difference for the Captain. "You're welcome, Captain."
The day of the Lurlinemas Eve ball finally arrived. Fiyero looked at himself in the mirror, dressed in his emerald guard uniform. He just hoped the night would go smoothly, and quickly, so he could go home. He looked at the clock and realized that it was time to go. Looking at his reflection once more, he hurried out of his room and down the stairs to the grand ballroom.
The guards stationed at the doors saluted him and Fiyero saluted back, immediately making his way over to the punch bowl. He grabbed a glass and filled it with the juice.
"What's in the punch?" Galinda asked as she came over.
Fiyero took a small sip. "Lemons and melons and pears."
"Oh my!" Galinda gasped, then giggled, accepting the glass Fiyero offered her. "Thank you."
A sudden fanfare caught everyone's attention and they immediately quieted down, knowing what was coming next.
"And now, their royal highnesses, Our Supreme Wizard and his daughter, Princess Elphaba!"
The doors opened, revealing the royals, and everyone clapped. Fiyero smiled slightly as he regarded the princess. She was dressed in a beautiful, black dress with long sleeves and a long, flowing, silk skirt. The bodice was laced with small crystals and golden trimming. The Wizard was wearing an emerald suit with a white shirt underneath, smiling proudly as he walked in with his daughter. With a wave of his hand, he signaled for the music to start and everyone began dancing.
"Captain," Galinda smiled as she approached the captain around four dances in.
"Lady Galinda," Fiyero smiled, then bowed. "Would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance?"
The blonde blushed. "I would love to, but I must give my feet a rest. Princess Elphaba, on the other hand…" She smiled slyly, glancing over at her friend, who was trapped in a conversation with an unnamed dignitary, "would love to have you ask her to dance."
"Princess Elphaba?" Fiyero blinked.
Galinda nodded. "She told me that she hoping you would ask her to dance tonight."
"She did?"
She nodded again. "But if you ask her, she'll just deny it, so just trust me on this one. Go on," she said, giving the captain a gentle nudge. "Plus, she likes you."
"She likes me?"
The blonde giggled softly. "Of course she does."
"How do you know?"
"Captain, I'm her best friend. She tells me everything."
"She told you that?"
"I practically had to force it out of her."
"But you just said…"
"I said that she tells me everything. I didn't say it was exactly willingly."
Fiyero looked back at the princess. She really did look beautiful… and she looked like she really wanted to get out of that conversation. Smiling, he made his way over to her.
"Excuse me, Your Highness," Fiyero said and bowed slightly.
"Yes, Captain?"
"I must speak to you for a moment."
"Of course," Elphaba said as she excused herself and went with the captain. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, per say. I just felt that you needed a little break from boring conversations with boring people. And I wanted to ask you to dance."
Elphaba gaped at him. "Really?"
"I was just doing my job."
"How was that doing your job?"
"It's my job to save you, and I did."
The princess blinked at him and rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot."
Fiyero gave her a cheeky grin. "You're welcome."
Elphaba sighed, but gave the prince a quick smile. "Thank you, Captain."
"Your Highness, would you do me the highest honor of joining me for a dance?"
"Of course, Captain Tigulaar," Elphaba said, forcing herself not to playfully roll her eyes as Fiyero offered her his arm and led her to the dance floor.
"Are you looking forward to going home for Lurlinemas?" the princess asked as the music started and they began to dance.
"Yes. It's been a while since I've seen my parents. I've missed them."
Elphaba smiled. "You deserve the little time off. Especially during the holiday. You've been working really hard. And… you're doing a great job."
Fiyero spun her around and smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness." Had Fiyero not been paying attention, he wouldn't have noticed the blush sneaking its way onto Elphaba's cheeks. But luckily, he was and he noticed. It wouldn't be a new thing for Fiyero Tigulaar to experience a girl having a crush on him. He was used to girls fawning over him. The ladies loved him. But Elphaba was different. She most definitely didn't fawn. She wasn't even aware that he knows that she has a crush on him.
"Captain?"
Fiyero blinked out of his thoughts. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Would you… like to join me for another dance?"
The Vinkun didn't even try to stop or hide his smile. "Of course, Your Highness."
Remember when I said the "fun" begins in this chapter. I meant next chapter. But at least we got some beginning-potential Fiyeraba before stuff starts to hit the fan… hard… really hard. *Cackles*