Chapter 27
"You think this will work? I'm not questioning your abilities. I just…" Fiyero admitted when Elphaba and Glinda told him the plan. They had met up in the dining room as it was too late in the day to start ferrying troops now. The King and Queen had already learned of the plan and it was just the Prince and Balfour that needed to be brought up to speed.
"We completely understand your concern. It'll be a very large bubble and I've never attempted something like this," Glinda said.
"I should be able to bolster the strength of the spell and that should be enough. We don't really have any other option as the tunnel will be useless. Bonecrusher's spell made the boundary between Oz and Ix literally impassable. No tunnel can be built through it," Elphaba spoke up.
"How does Zixi get here?" Her husband asked, realizing that the Queen wasn't there.
"She snaps her fingers. That won't work for the troops," Glinda said.
"No, I guess not. How does she know that she's not snapping her fingers and landing inside of a wall or something?" Fiyero wanted to know.
"That I do not know. Without accurate coordinates, I would imagine that it is a risk. Though perhaps the use of a crystal ball avoids that," his wife admitted.
"Ah I see. Ok so you're going to bubble fifty men at a time and send them back across the desert. I'm assuming that Zixi will alert us if they made it or not," he said.
"Yes, via crystal ball," Glinda nodded.
"Well that seems easy enough but how long does a trip take? We march to the border and then bubble from there?" Fiyero wondered.
"That is the plan. The shorter the distance, the better," Elphaba said.
"Better get packing our bags then and get a good night's sleep," he said. Everyone agreed as Mr. Samuels brought out dinner. The meal was excellent as usual and everyone complimented the chef and his assistant before heading to their respective rooms to pack.
"The King and Queen have been quite accommodating to us. Not forcing us to sleep in separate rooms," Glinda said to Balfour as they entered their room.
"They have been. Perhaps we should continue the tradition when we get home," the Lieutenant told her, making sure the door was closed.
"Balfy, we were keeping us a secret to avoid the prying eyes and constant paparazzi," the blonde reminded him.
"Yes and then the Council suggested you get married," he reminded her. Glinda heaved a sigh and collapsed on the bed. Balfour picked up their suitcases and placed them onto the bench at the end of the bed. He began packing things they would need for the trips to the border. Some of their personal items could remain until they returned to pick up the prisoner before heading back to the Emerald City.
"You already act like a husband. Packing my bag for me?" The blonde sat up and gave him a look.
"Well you have a lot on your plate. The least I could do is help you," he said, looking up from his task.
"You're always helping me," she admitted.
"Is that a bad thing?" Balfour was confused. Glinda shook her head "no" and climbed off the bed to make sure they got what they needed into the suitcases. Ten minutes later, they were done.
"Fiyero said something to me earlier," the Lieutenant said as they got ready for bed.
"Oh and you were talking to him about our problems? Figured that Oz's biggest former playboy could give us advice?" Glinda wondered, giving him a look.
"The last thing I want is for you to be forced into something you don't want to do and that includes getting married to someone else," Balfour said. He was down to his breeches and standing only a few feet away from her.
"How noble of you," the blonde smiled as she stepped out of her dress, leaving her in her shift.
"At any rate, Fiyero said that you need someone who will have your back, your front, and any other sides that need covering. That got me thinking. I don't want anyone else covering any part of you," the Lieutenant had closed the gap between them and held her front to his.
"That is very sweet," Glinda said, beginning to feel that her beau was looking for more than just words to seal the deal.
"I just need to know one thing. We're doing this for us, right? No one else. Just us and how we feel?" He wanted to know. The blonde leaned in a little closer; the pressure mounting between them caused the Lieutenant to groan.
"I feel like the only reason we should do this is for us. When we get back to the city, no more hiding. Just us, out in public, eating dinner, or taking in a show. What we do in our bedrooms is not anyone else's business," she said.
"Agreed," he leaned down and captured her lips in his and they stumbled their way to the bed.
To Be Continued…