"Guess who." said Raman tauntingly in her ear. She struggled to get away from him, but he was strong man and had an iron grip like her father. Raman laughed at her attempts to get away from him; her struggles were barely noticeable given how small she was. He dragged her out of the room and out the back door. Behind the mansion he'd hired a carriage. Attached to the carriage was what looked like a cage, but it had wheels on the bottom of it, like a caravan cage for a circus animal. He threw her into the cage and locked it.

"No please, let me out!" Elphaba begged, putting her small hands around the metal bars.

"I don't think I will." Raman sneered, "Now that you're in there," Raman gestured to the cage, "I think I can say that you belong to me now." he laughed evilly. Then he reached a hand through the bars and held her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb, "You know, I think my son's going to like you. Just wait till he sees the little present I picked up in Munchkinland." he laughed again and went to the front of the carriage and whipped the horses. They neighed loudly and began to run down the dirt road.

"No!" Elphaba shouted, "You can't do this! Let me out!"

************

Fiyero was lying in bed again, sleep a distant thought. He was about to go down to the ballroom to see Elphaba, when he heard something outside. He went to the window and what he saw made his heart stop beating and his muscles froze. He was instantly filled with dread and despair as he looked upon the scene behind the house. Raman had a hand over Elphaba's mouth and his arm wrapped around her tightly...too tightly. He dragged her over to this cage-like vehicle and threw her in, locking the door behind her. Fiyero's heart broke at the sight of her in a cage. Raman said something to her and he darted for the front of the carriage to drive away. Suddenly, something inside Fiyero's mind clicked. She was being kidnapped. Fiyero instantly jumped into motion. He darted from the room. As he darted down the halls, he saw a long metal candle holder on the wall. He grabbed it, thinking it might be useful in getting the lock off of the cage. He bounded outside and saw that they were already half way down the street. He ran after the carriage. Behind him, he could hear shouts as Frex came outside, he'd probably seen the incident from his own bedroom window too. Nessa had wheeled herself out and was calling for her sister. A good number of maids had come out too, calling Elphaba's name. Fiyero was slowly gaining on the carriage. His lungs burned and his muscles ached, but he wouldn't stop. He would not lose her, he couldn't lose her. She was the world to him, his world, he began to run faster still.

"Fiyero!" Elphaba cried, as she leapt to her feet and came to the bars, clutching them to keep her standing position.

Raman heard the shouts and looked behind him to see the annoying Prince on his heels. He yelled and whipped the horses, urging them to run fast. They did, and it look for a moment he thought he'd get away with his prize. But he didn't. Fiyero leapt up and grabbed onto the bars. He stood on the side of the cage now, next to the locked door. The wind was blowing so hard past him it was near impossible to stay on. The carriage was still zooming down the road and Fiyero clung to the bars so as not to fall. Raman roared in rage as he saw felt a jolt of the carriage and looked behind him to see Fiyero had leapt onto the carriage. He swerved the carriage in an attempt to knock Fiyero off. It didn't work, so he took the whip he was using to whip the horses and lashed it out at Fiyero. The whip curled around his arm, causing blood to run down his skin, but Fiyero paid no attention to it. Elphaba cried out in surprise and distress as the whip unleashed the blood of Fiyero. Fiyero ignored the pain and consentrated on getting Elphaba out. He took the metal candle holder that seemed almost like a crowbar. He hit the lock as hard as he could with the crowbar, putting all of his anger and rage at Raman into the blows. It broke after about four blows. He swung the door open and pulled Elphaba out, holding her tightly to him. Raman looked behind him as he heard the blows to the lock. He saw the door swing open and his prescious prize escape from the cage's confines. He roared again in rage and lashed the whip out again. He'd been aiming for Fiyero, but he missed his target and it lashed Elphaba on the back hard. Elphaba screamed and the blood ran down her back freely and rapidly. She leaned into Fiyero and held tightly to him so she wouldn't fall, biting back cries of pain. Fiyero's eyes darkened with inhumane rage, and when Raman lashed the whip at them again, Fiyero held his hand out and grabbed the whip. It caused him no blood and he tore it from Raman's grip, throwing it to the ground. Raman nearly fell from the coach's chair as the whip was ripped out of his hand. Fiyero looked at their situation, they were going to have to jump. He looked down at the earth beneath them, zooming by in blurs.

"We're going to have to jump!" he told Elphaba. She nodded, but didn't say anything, in too much pain to speak. He hoped the jump would not hurt her further. He clutched Elphaba even tighter to him now, "Alright, one, two..." with that, Fiyero jumped off of the cage, still holding Elphaba close. They landed in soft grass so the fall was not so bad, but they landed on a hill, and unable to stop, began rolling down the steep grassy hill at top speed. When they'd come to a stop, Elphaba was on lying on top of him, his arms still wrapped around her protectively. They were both panting hard. Suddenly, Elphaba flung her arms around Fiyero's neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"You've saved me so many times," she cried, "I don't know what I ever did that made me worth saving, but....." then she whispered into his ear, "...thank you so much...Yero my hero." Fiyero felt shivers run down his spine as she whispered those words. He felt lighter, like her was flying, soaring above. The ground beneath him disappeared as did everything else. It was just him and her...together, how it should be, how he wanted it to be. After a long embrace, she pulled back.

"Thank you Fiyero." she said softly, looking him in the eye.

"Anytime." Fiyero whispered, just like he had last time as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I will always be here for you Elphaba. Oh, and as a reply to one of your previous statements, I can't think of anyone who deserves to be saved more than you. And I will save you everytime." Elphaba smiled at him and the moment ended as the shouts of everyone back on the road reached their ears.

"We should probably head back." Elphaba said softly, brushing a few blades of grass out of his hair.

"Probably." he agreed, but neither made a move. Finally, Elphaba got off of him and brushed off her skirts. He got up too and just seemed to notice the large amount of blood on his arms. When the whip had curled around his arm, it hadn't hurt that much, and it hadn't bled that much either. He looked up at Elphaba. She had been whipped much harder, and her back was covered in blood, and she was still bleeding. He must have gotten her blood on him when he'd wrapped his arms around her and jumped.

"Oz, Elphaba!" he cried, "Are you alright?!" Fiyero flew to her side and began to examine the wound.

"I'm fine." she said, "Are you?"

"I'm fine." he said off-handedly, he was more concerned with her. Suddenly, Elphaba felt very weak, and could barely even stand. The large amount of blood loss must have registered with her body and she began to fall. Fiyero instinctively held his arms out and caught her. He easily picked her up and cradled her close in his arms.

"I can walk." she said stubbornly.

"No, you can't." said Fiyero firmly and he began to carry her up the hill. She sighed and gently settled her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

As soon as they came into view over the top of the hill, Kendal was bounding towards them.

"Oh Oz, is she dead?! Please let her not be dead!" Kendal cried when he saw all of the blood and Elphaba's weak body in Fiyero's arms.

"I'm not dead. It's ok Kendal. Fiyero saved me." she said in a heartbreakingly weak voice.

"Thank you." said Kendal to Fiyero as he took one of Elphaba's hands. Fiyero nodded. Kendal sighed as he looked at Elphaba. Soon, the maids were rushing forward all hovering around Elphaba and Fiyero.

"Don't you worry, we've alerted the police." said one of the maids.

"Thanks Mari." said Elphaba. The maid smiled and gave Elphaba an odd hug, given how she was in Fiyero's arms, "We were so worried about you." Nessa wheeled over to Elphaba.

"Elphaba, I'm so glad you're okay." she said, taking her sister's hand. Suddenly the police were there, dragging Raman by in handcuffs. They stopped in front of Elphaba and Fiyero. Fiyero subconsciously tighten his hold on Elphaba and his eyes filled with rage and hatred at the man who'd done this to Elphaba, caused her so much pain.

"Is this the one Miss?" one of the policeman asked. Elphaba nodded.

"Oh don't worry, your prince may have saved you this time, but I'll have you soon enough my dear." said Raman.

"You wish!" Fiyero shouted, "And I'll keep saving her." Fiyero was one step away from punching this man until he cried bloody murder, but the police quickly pulled him away, hitting him with a club to silence him. Fiyero looked down at Elphaba, promise and devotion glistening in his eyes, "I won't let him touch you Elphaba." he promised.

"I know Fiyero." said Elphaba softly, "I believe you." Fiyero sighed with relief and kissed her forehead softly. Elphaba was surprised but didn't comment.

"Now c'mon, we must take her inside and call a doctor!" one of the maids cried. Fiyero quickly followed them inside as Elphaba drifted in and out of consciousness.