AN: Okay, because this chapter is longer, it took longer. It also took longer because I have HUGE plans for this story and I wanted to get them all worked out before starting ANYTHING. It also took longer because, for a prize for a contest, I said I'd write a Fiyeraba fanfic if someone would give me some plot/ideas I hadn't done yet, and they did. So I have another one in the works, almost at the end of chapter one, and that shall also be posted soon. Feel free to read, enjoy, review, and guess about my huge plans.

THANK YOU IAMTHEWITCH! I've wanted to say that for a while, but I keep forgetting. She is seriously, like, my editor. She rocks my socks off!

Chapter Thirty-Four: Overprotective

Elphaba groaned as she woke up, carefully lifting Fiyero's arms from around her. She did not want to wake him, though she knew he wouldn't sleep very much longer; he really could sense when she was gone. He liked sleeping late, but he would either have to learn to wake earlier or get used to sleeping without her if that was going to continue. The "school year" had begun.

The sun had barely risen, but she had much to do this first day. Yawning and stretching, she stood up and climbed out of the bed, glancing at the window. She reached for the oils on the bedside table, and almost shrieked when she found another hand reach at the same moment.

"I'm not going to like you waking this early, am I?" Fiyero grumbled, wiping his eyes of sleep and sliding himself out of bed. "Here, I'll help." He began unscrewing the glass bottle.

"No," Elphaba swiped it from him. "Every time you do that, we end up having sex. I can't afford to lose that time today."

"But I want…"

"Fiyero, you always want. Not this morning, all right? I'm sorry, love, but maybe if you hadn't fallen asleep so quickly last night we could've then, but you were exhausted. Tonight, okay?"

"It's not my fault! You had me running around following you in the damn forests all day."

"You could've said you were tired." And that was the end of that.

As she was leaving, towards the large hut they'd built halfway between the middle of the village and the castle, Fiyero caught her wrist. "I'll come."

"Fiyero, no. You cannot - simply cannot - be around me every moment of every day. You know I love you and love being around you, but some things have to be done without you. I don't need you there while I'm trying to meet the children and teach. Honestly, Fiyero, get a grip!" She snapped, swishing her cloaks and stomping away.

He stared after her, not necessarily shocked, for she got fed up with him this way quite often, but confused. Though, he supposed she was right, after all. He very well couldn't go with her. It was best he stayed home and began learning the politics of the kingdom with his father, of course. He could handle a few hours each day, couldn't he?

Elphaba let her anger simmer down through the day, hoping she would no longer be angry with him when she returned. She sighed, watching young children amble into the classroom. Waiting until a little after the time specified and feeling the schoolhouse was decently filled, she stood up in front of the classroom with a pad of paper and a pen, asking each student his or her name and greeting each of them. Knowing that it was standard for teachers or professors to go by their last names and hating what was standard, not to mention that her last name also made her seem more like a wife, half of a person, when she wanted to remain individual, she told them to call her "Miss Elphie" because some of the younger ones couldn't quite pronounce "Elphaba".

When one is green and wants to be thought of as individual, unassociated with anyone else, that's not a problem. However, when one is green and the entire tribe is aware that the crown prince's wife is green, there is no stopping them from staring in awe – not because of skin color, but because of marital status. Even the youngest understand the respect that is required when in the presence of royalty, which is exactly what Elphaba had been trying to avoid.

After she had introduced herself, one boy, looking about the age of nine, asked, "Aren't you married to Prince Fiyero?"

Elphaba sighed, putting down her papers behind her desk. "Well, yes. But in this building I want you to forget that."

"So we're not supposed to be respectful?" Asked a girl of seven.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You are supposed to be respectful to any adult who is in charge of you; however, you don't have to treat me like you would treat Prince Fiyero if you were visiting the castle." She left it at that, hoping they would understand. For the rest of the day, she passed out books (she had three leftover as there were only twelve students) and had them draw pictures of their families.

There was one girl, Drienna, five years old, who asked many questions of her, but never stupid or irritating questions. She was genuinely curious and ready to learn. Elphaba knew that this girl would be the type of student she would come to love.

She was collecting the drawings when the mothers of her students came to pick up their children. Several of them stayed for a few minutes and asked the standard question or two, but most were intimidated by her status and left quickly.

Elphaba was agitated and resented her marriage to Fiyero for the way people reacted to it. She wished she didn't have to be so… noticeable. She was about to sit down in her chair for a moment alone, but she realized the last mother had yet to leave with her six-year-old son and Drienna was standing in the middle of the room, looking somewhat forlorn.

Before Elphaba said anything, the last mother crouched down to Drienna and whispered gently, "Do you want us to walk you home like we walked you here this morning?"

The little girl shook her head, black pigtail braids swishing madly. "My father said he would pick me up."

"And I did, didn't I?"

Elphaba glanced towards the doorway, meeting eyes with an Arjiki man – everyone else who had picked up a child had been female – with light green markings on his skin. He had circles rather than diamonds, and not nearly as elegant as Fiyero's, for he wasn't royalty. She wondered why some adults had different colored or shaped markings. Was it status?

Smiling at him, the other woman shook his hand. "I know you did, I was just concerned. Everyone else has already picked up their kids."

"And left already? I would think people would be a bit more curious about the school," he glanced around and his gaze settled on Elphaba, "and the teacher."

Elphaba flushed and glanced down. The last drawing she had collected was Drienna's, and it was pathetically small compared to the others. Most children had at least two siblings, and there had been five people in the majority of the pictures, if not more. However, here were two stick figures, one with a skirt to represent a female and a much taller one that Elphaba assumed was her father. It was drawn to represent nighttime, and in the star at the very top left corner, Elphaba noticed another stick figure, also female. Realizing what this meant, she shook her head sadly and placed the pile on the table, shuffling it so the little girl's didn't stand out. She walked towards the doorway and stood two feet from Drienna's father, sticking out her hand for him to shake. "Elphaba."

He refrained from touching her hand. "Princess Elphaba, isn't it? You are Crown Prince Fiyero's wife, correct?"

Elphaba bit back a smarmy remark and pushed a smile. "Yes. However, I don't think that just because I ended up marrying someone who happens to be of high status means that I should have to be regarded as 'Princess'. I utterly detest the word. It's childish." She knew not to direct her anger of her treatment towards Fiyero, but towards the rule or law that deemed she should be treated in such a way. It was true that royalty required respect, but she was not even twenty-two and unused to the prospect.

"Well, then, Elphaba, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kalendrio, Drienna's father." He took her hand at last and shook it amiably.

The woman who'd offered to walk Drienna home curtseyed slightly, unable to forget Elphaba's status, and said, "I'm Liana, Herndon's mother." She gestured to the boy who was grasping her skirts and tugging at them as she swatted him. "I live next door to Kalendrio."

Elphaba nodded understandingly. "I'm glad to meet the both of you."

Kalendrio stepped further inside and leaned against the wall near the door, "So," he began, "what are you planning on teaching? I took some school once, a long time ago. I learned to read and I have a few books at home – not much, though. I was an only child and my parents were once royal advisors, so I was a bit privileged."

"At this point I'm teaching basic reading and math skills. I hope to move on to the more complicated subjects eventually. It all depends on the students and their patience and willingness to learn. Your daughter seems very bright and enthusiastic, actually. She's young and it helps to teach her things now, you know?" Elphaba looked at the little girl who had now sat down and opened her worn woven bag and taken out drawing materials. Her eyes were focus on the paper and she wore a stern look of concentration that was almost humorous on such a small girl.

When Elphaba had told this to the women who had asked previously, they hadn't understood her reasoning for teaching such young children. She'd tried to explain that things learned younger tend to stay imprinted in the mind, but no one had understood. Kalendrio, however, said, "Right, she's more capable of retaining certain knowledge."

Finally, she longed to say, someone other than those dreadfully stupid housewives who actually has some sort of intelligence! She dared not say it in Liana's presence, though, for she seemed to be one of those housewives. But it was true, with only a few people to talk to, Fiyero being the only educated one among them, she was beyond bored. So she hoped this strange but somewhat knowledgeable man would pick up his child and stop to talk daily. "Exactly!"

Liana looked ready to leave but Kalendrio looked ready to stay for a chat, which excited Elphaba. However, the prospect of all of this died when another figure appeared in the doorway and caused Liana to gasp and curtsey quickly. Kalendrio spotted the figure a moment later and bowed hurriedly. "Your Highness."

Well, she should have figured. Half an hour after the time she estimated she'd be back at the castle, Fiyero showed up. He nodded briefly at the two other adults in the room and made a beeline straight towards Elphaba, wrapping his arms around her protectively after a second glace at Kalendrio. His arms were so tight she choked and swatted at him, "Fiyero!"

He loosened his grip, only slightly. "Sorry, love." He tilted her face towards his. "I was just making sure you were all right. You said you'd probably be back a little while ago…"

"It's the first day! People are going to stop and talk to me after class." She was ready to start a full-fledged argument and then realized this was not the time or place. "But that's all right," she sighed helplessly, "you're just being you."

"Am I ever anyone else?" He smiled, the sweetness and sincerity in the gesture ebbing off her anger a little at a time. "So…" He motioned to the two adults and one child (he couldn't see Herndon, because the boy had promptly hidden himself behind his mother's skirts the minute Fiyero had come in).

Elphaba straightened herself out. "Oh! Of course! Fiyero, this is Liana and her son…" She realized the boy had disappeared and gave Liana a curious look.

"Herndon, stop hiding!" Liana tugged the boy out from behind her by the forearm.

Elphaba chuckled lightly. "This is Liana and her son Herndon, and that's Kalendrio. The cute little girl who has barely even noticed you in the middle of the floor would be Drienna."

At her name Drienna looked up. Seeing Fiyero, she dropped her coloring materials and stood, attempting a curtsey.

Elphaba bit back a smile. "And, though all of you already know, this is Prince Fiyero, my irritatingly overprotective and attached husband."

"Fae!" He let go of her at last.

"I'm teasing," she chided gently.

Kalendrio began packing Drienna up again. "Well, we'd better get going."

Liana nodded and dragged Herndon out the door towards the village. "Until tomorrow. Goodbye, Your Highness," she did another curtsey and fled.

Drienna was packed now and standing looking up at her father. Kalendrio smiled at Elphaba lightly, "I guess we'll see you tomorrow." Gaze turning serious when he turned to Fiyero, he said, "Goodbye, Your Highness." With a bow, he was gone, too.

Elphaba stood, staring out the door and feeling Fiyero's hands on her shoulders, wondering why she was feeling such a powerful anger and regret.