"What?" Elphaba stood with her hands on her hips looking at him disbelievingly. "You're kidding me."
They were in his dorm room (it was really more of a suite than a dorm room) and Fiyero had just explained that he had to get married and that he was giving Elphaba time to think about it, but he'd need to know by the end of the fall holidays. It didn't quite seem to be getting through to Elphaba. "I'm absolutely serious. Elphaba, I care about you, I love you, and I know it's probably early, and I know you probably weren't even thinking this would happen, but it's that or marry the girl I was promised to who I never knew. I'm really, really, sorry. I wish it didn't have to be this way."
She just stared at him for a minute. Suddenly, she ran into his arms and hugged him. "Fiyero, I don't know what to do. I really care about you, and you know that, but… this is not the sort of thing I ever expected."
"I know, Elphaba," he held her close to him, "that's why I told you now, rather than the end of the fall holidays. I wanted to give you time to think."
Elphaba took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, then, I'll give a lot of thought to it."
"Any hint at what the answer might be?"
She shook her head. "I am so confused right now that I have absolutely no idea."
He nodded understandingly. "That's fine. I am pretty confused, too. But I know I don't want to marry this other girl, and I wish I had more time." Fiyero squeezed her hand. "I promise it won't be too bad."
She laughed. "That helps."
He sat her down on the bed. "Can we talk about a few things?"
"Are there more surprises?" Elphaba asked uneasily.
"Not like what I just told you. But Elphaba, if you do agree to this, there's a lot of, well, stuff you won't quite understand. I know you read in that book some pretty odd stuff, and it's not quite that crazy, but it's still very different. My parents and family believe in things I'm not quite sure of, some of which I have to go by anyway, and some of which I don't."
Elphaba shrugged at this. "We'll deal with it when we come to it. Unless there's some crazy ritual in which I'm degraded or abused, I really don't think that should factor into my decision."
"That's a good point." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."
"I know."
"If we had more time…"
Elphaba jumped. "Time! Shit!"
"What?"
"I have a meeting with Madame Morrible in an hour. In light of Ama Clutch's death, she had some very serious matters to deal with or something."
Very serious indeed. Elphaba, Glinda and Nessa were to go to the Emerald City over the fall holidays and meet the Wizard. Fiyero was unhappy with this. "What does this mean for your decision?"
"I'll be back by the end of the holidays. That's when you have to write your mother and father, right?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"Oh, Fiyero, stop being so silly. Don't you worry. I'll miss you." She kissed him goodbye warmly. "I really will. I'll be back soon enough. If I find that you acted ridiculous, I won't even consider marrying you."
He tried to smile. "Please, do come back."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I just have this feeling. You're going to hate me for bringing this up, but I just know, Fae, that this, right here, this is where that lifeline changes, the one the old woman talked about."
Elphaba's face grew stormy. "That old woman was talking bullshit, Fiyero."
"Promise me you'll come back!" He insisted.
She drew away, startled. "Fiyero…"
"Elphaba, I've got a bad feeling about this. Just appease me, all right?"
"All right. I promise." And then she was gone. Gone on an adventure that would decide not just her, but Fiyero's future, and he didn't even take part.
Elphaba had been sure that there was nothing in existence that would ever make Glinda shut up. She was wrong. The minute the three girls walked into the Wizard's chambers, Glinda's mouth was sealed shut – well, just for a moment.
A conversation ensued in which Elphaba found herself doubting the government she'd trusted for so long. Careful questioning proved to her more than her worst suspicions. Madame Morrible was not only helping oppress the Animals, but was doing it under the command of the Wizard. For a long time, there was back and forth between only she and the Wizard. Nessa was practically silent and Glinda didn't know what to say.
Outside, Elphaba raged to herself as they awaited the carriage. A large part of her wanted to run off into the City. She'd heard of a group, the Resistance. She hadn't understood what they were until this moment.
"Promise me you'll come back… Please, do come back… bad feeling about this…" Elphaba remembered Fiyero's words. And then the old woman's. Their nights together would be illegitimate or not illegitimate. The shorter lifeline had been the illegitimate one. How could she have been so ignorant? Her choice was so obvious. Live and marry Fiyero, or run away, let him die and die early, too.
No. No, no, no. It was just a stupid prediction. She didn't believe it. Why should she? But if she did run off, there'd be no more Fiyero, at least not until he was done with school, and then he'd be married…
Illegitimate… is that what the woman meant? That not only would they not be married, that he would be married to someone else? And if she left him, they'd meet again, but he'd be killed… was that what she'd said? No, he'd die. Where did the idea that he'd be killed come from? That was a whole different thing.
"Elphie?" Glinda pulled her into the carriage.
She followed without second thought. The driver loaded Nessa and her chair into the carriage as well. They sat in silence.
"Um, Elphaba?" Glinda broke the silence (as always).
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you nervous about going back to Shiz?"
"Why would I be?"
Glinda looked at her lap. "Well, I kind of overheard you and Fiyero talking and I kind of got the gist that you and he…"
"Oh! I… I'm still thinking about it."
Nessa cocked her head. "What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing. Just marriage." Elphaba pretended to shrug it off.
"WHAT?"
"Fiyero has to be married soon, and that means this winter break. He needed to know if I would agree to marry him by the end of the fall holidays, that's all."
"THAT'S ALL?"
"Otherwise he'd marry this other girl from his tribe who he's never met."
"Elphaba, what are you going to do?" Nessa demanded.
"Why, I don't know." Elphaba said sarcastically.
"But… but he's a prince. And you have to be at home. But you can't if you have to live with him and he has to be with his people." Nessa whined.
Elphaba perked up. "I think I'll marry him, then."
"Elphaba! Listen to yourself. Father would kill you."
"I was kidding, Nessa. I said I was still thinking about it."
"Well, you better keep thinking and fast because you have a day and then we arrive home the last day of the holidays."
Elphaba sighed. "Then shut up so I can think. If you say one more word to even try and help, I will put my hands over my ears and scream until I go hoarse!" She snapped and thought to herself. If she married Fiyero, she could get out of that trap that was her home. She could have some sort of say in politics, even if it was a small say. It seemed appealing.
But those were all the wrong reasons. If she was going to marry someone, the first priority should be if she cared for him. Well, that wasn't a question. Love… maybe that would come in time. Elphaba wasn't quite sure if it had, yet. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever feel it for anyone. So why not? She'd never really love anyone, then, so at least she could marry someone she cared about deeply…
Fiyero met their carriage as they returned. He pulled Elphaba aside after she'd unpacked and they walked outside in the snow. "So?"
She looked up into his eyes. "This is probably the biggest decision of our lives."
"No, it's not. The decision that was happened in the City, when you chose to come back."
She blinked, shocked. "But Fiyero, how do you know I thought about…?"
"I knew it! I just did. But you're here. You didn't leave. We can live."
"Are you assuming I'll marry you?"
"No, I just thought… it goes with the prediction that…"
"Would you please shut up about that damned prediction?" Elphaba snapped.
Fiyero hung his head. "Sorry."
"It's all right."
"I missed you, I did."
She smiled. "I missed you, too."
"Not the way I missed you. I worried."
"You shouldn't have. It was just a stupid made up bullshit magic show."
"Then why did you just say you did think about leaving me, huh?"
Elphaba looked at her feet. "I didn't think about leaving you. I just thought about not coming back. Leaving you was just part of that. It wasn't that I wanted to leave you…"
Fiyero breathed deeply, trying to stay calm. "Well, whatever. You know what? It doesn't matter. You didn't run off and that's all that's important."
"I guess."
"So, have you made your decision?"
She nodded.
"And?"
Elphaba folded her arms across her chest and teased, "Do I not get a ring?"
"Not until you say 'yes'." Fiyero took a white box out of his pocket.
"You didn't!"
"I did. Now tell me what you decided." He held out the ring. "You know what? Don't tell me. Show me. If you'll marry me, take this. If you won't, shake your head."
Elphaba gulped. She said, "No, I won't take it." After a moment's pause, she held out her hand to him and asked softly, "Will you put it on?"
Fiyero chuckled in relief and hugged her. "Thank god, yes."