Chapter 14
"You have that distant look on your face again," Fiyero said as the two climbed into bed. Zara was down for the evening and troop movements along with Zixi's promise to send troops their way were already started. The party guests were going to return to their home countries in the morning, messages had been sent ahead to prepare for war.
"Sorry. There is just a lot to process," Elphaba told him. Her husband pulled her close and kissed her temple.
"If anyone can process it, it's you," he said.
"I'm still not sure we can trust Zixi but on the other hand, being overrun with Nomes doesn't seem like a good option either," she admitted.
"Zixi is a bit of a conundrum but I doubt she would attempt to drop in on the Vinkus if she really thought she had another choice. She had no idea the fate of her spy and rather than send more, she came herself. If you had ordered the Flying Monkeys or even the Griffins, they would have ripped her to shreds. Not to mention, you or Lin using your magic," Fiyero pointed out.
"True but there are fairly big stakes at play here. The one part of the prophecy that she conveniently left out, is the part about speaking to dragons," his wife frowned.
"Speaking to dragons? Don't they speak like we do?" He had no idea what she was talking about.
"Well technically yes but the prophecy states that the one born of two worlds can read the Grimmerie and therefore speak to dragons. It would seem that they wrote the book in their native tongue and that is why only I can read it," Elphaba explained.
"So Zara will be able to read it and speak it as well," Fiyero said.
"Possibly and that puts her in more danger, if there is actually a dragon still left in Oz," the green woman frowned.
"Somehow, I don't see the Nomes waiting even longer to try something. Zara was literally just born. She can't even communicate with us, never mind a dragon," he reminded her.
"Doesn't mean they couldn't use her to leverage me into doing something," Elphaba said. Fiyero frowned. That was absolutely true. Suddenly, a loud thud was heard from outside their window. Fiyero was out of bed like a shot and he grabbed his trusty rifle, which was leaning against the wall. He headed for the balcony door and Elphaba quickly followed him. Flinging the door open, they both got a surprise.
"Your Highnesses, I apologize for my presence. I did not want to startle you," it was Kelebek.
"Is something wrong?" Elphaba asked.
"No, I just felt that you should have extra protection, especially for the little one. I only wish to stay outside on the balcony and keep an eye on things," the young Griffin said.
"Well if you feel you must, then we happily accept. Will you be warm enough outside?" Fiyero was beginning to notice it seemed a little chilly outside.
"I will be fine. I brought a blanket," Kelebek smiled and jerked her head toward the wool blanket on her back.
"Then we will see you in the morning," he said with a slight smile before heading back inside. Elphaba couldn't help but think that the young Griffin was just as nervous as the rest of them.
"Get some good sleep and thank you," the green woman smiled before heading back inside. She was glad to crawl into bed and warm up. Quickly, the two royals fell asleep, exhausted from the day's activities and worries. Little did they know that Zixi's visit could not have come at a better time.
To Be Continued…