AN: I won't say anything about the ending, except for the fact that I have only yesterday decided what to do and am currently writing it, and it's kind of hard on me.

Also: No, you still can't throw Avaric overboard, and trust me - he's going to get a lot worse than he's been so far. See this chapter (and some later ones as well).

4. The Ways of Love

He ended up dancing with Elphaba in his arms all night; and when he finally did sneak back to the second-class level and into his room, he found himself unable to think about anything but her. It was crazy, really. He had never really been in love before – sure, there had been girls, but none of them had been serious. And now here he was, like a pathetic love-struck idiot, grinning at the ceiling as he thought about a girl instead of falling asleep. He must be going insane.

It was even more stupid for the fact that she was engaged to be married. Her fiancé was here on the ship with her. She was going to go with him to the Tenmeadows estate and Fiyero was off to study at Shiz University until he would become the king of the Vinkus. They had absolutely no future together. He couldn't even kiss her, or tell her how he felt – not with both her fiancé and her family watching her all the time… but maybe he could sneak up to the first-class level once more to dance with her again. He'd like that.

He didn't see her the next day, no matter how hard he searched for her. He spent the day wandering the ship, going down to the third level and talking a bit with some passengers there. He stood at the railing, watching the sea as it flew by underneath him. He didn't sleep well that night, thinking about her again all the time, and he mentally kicked himself. He was stupid and brainless. What was he even thinking? He had to get her out of his head.

The next day, he tried to befriend some of his fellow second-class passengers. They played card games, had some nice conversations, and laughed a lot. He managed to forget about her for a few hours, which he found to be quite the accomplishment, and he was pleased. This was what he had to do. He had to stop thinking about her and just have some fun, like he had done for the past years. That was what worked best for him, after all; and that way, at least he wouldn't be disappointed.

And then, just as he had convinced himself that he could forget about her and stop thinking about her, he ran into the Thropp family – plus Avaric and Galinda, as well as two servants – on the top deck.

A faint blush coloured Elphaba's cheeks when she saw him, and he could only stare at her, quickly discovering that she looked just as gorgeous dressed in royal blue as she did in crimson. How could he ever have thought it possible to forget about her?

Remembering his manners, he bowed. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," the governor replied, eyeing him curiously. Nessarose grabbed his arm.

"That is Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, Father," she said to him. "He danced with Elphaba a few nights ago, remember?"

"Ah, yes!" Frexspar's face brightened and he shook Fiyero's hand. "It's a pleasure, Your Highness. I am Governor Frexspar Thropp of Munchkinland," he introduced himself and gestured at his daughters. "You already know my daughters, Miss Nessarose and Miss Elphaba. This is Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," he continued the introductions, "and that is Elphaba's fiancé, Margrave Avaric Tenmeadows of Tenmeadows."

Avaric shook Fiyero's hand as well and he smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Thank you for amusing my fiancée in my absence, Prince Fiyero," he said.

"Actually, you weren't absent," Elphaba chirped, appearing next to her fiancé and innocently blinking at him. "I asked you if it was alright for me to return to our rooms and read for a bit, but you told me I had to stay at the ball and amuse myself, because you weren't done smoking and gossiping yet."

Fiyero stifled a smile. Avaric glared at his fiancée and put his arm around her waist. Judging by the grimace flitting across her face, he was squeezing her – hard.

"Don't listen to her," Avaric said to Fiyero, fake-smiling again. "She's still peeved because I won't let her go to university so that she can learn about things she will never have use of in her life ever again. Women," he laughed and Frexspar smiled, too. Fiyero, however, didn't.

"Don't you think that educated women could be of so much more use to society?" he asked Avaric instead. "My parents sent my younger sister to university and she is doing very well. I imagine she will be much more capable of ruling with an education."

"Women are not supposed to rule," Avaric said curtly. "Your sister won't rule, either, will she? If I am not mistaken, you are the crown prince."

"I am," Fiyero conceded, "but she would have to take over if something should happen to me; and as the princess, she has many royal duties as well."

"Elphaba won't." Avaric squeezed her even closer and the green girl gasped slightly at the force with which his fingers were digging into her waist. "She's not going to rule anyone or anything and she won't have any other duties than presenting a perfect image to our associates and taking care of the children she's going to give me. That is all. She does not need an education for anything."

"I will go to university in a year," Nessarose chimed in, smiling proudly. "Father is sending me to Shiz. I will be ruling a province, after all, once Father retires, so I need to know certain things."

"That's hardly fair," Galinda said with a frown. "You get to go to university and rule a province, and all Elphaba can do is play the perfect wife and mother?"

Avaric coloured in anger. "Miss Galinda," he said through clenched teeth, "I will have you know that I shall take very good care of Miss Elphaba here. She will have the life most society dames can only dream of. Aside from that," he added, boring his cold gaze into Galinda's, "I do not think you have any right to judge me or my actions, Miss Galinda. Or Governor Thropp's, for that matter."

Galinda blushed and didn't say anything else. Elphaba cast her eyes heavenward. Nessarose was fidgeting uncomfortably and both Frexspar and Avaric looked rather tense.

"Anyway," Frexspar finally broke the silence, "it was very nice meeting you, Your Highness, but we must be on our way."

With that, he strode away. Avaric followed, pulling Elphaba with him; behind them came Nessarose, her chair pushed by a Munchkin servant, and Galinda, who eyed the prince in interest as she passed by him. Just before they disappeared out of earshot, Fiyero heard her say, "He's cute. Is he single?"

He sighed and rested his forehead against the wall. This was hopeless. He hated the fate that awaited Elphaba, but there wasn't anything he could do to change it. He was never going to be anything else to her than a prince and a possible dance partner. That was it. He had to stop being brainless and move on with his life.

"Why was he asking all those questions?" Avaric demanded. He and Elphaba were in the sitting room of their suite, Elphaba curled up in an armchair with a book and Avaric pacing up and down the room in annoyance. "Who does he think he is?"

"The crown prince of the Vinkus, I imagine," Elphaba said drily from her chair, not even looking up from her book.

Avaric glowered at her. "You need to tone it down, Elphaba," he warned her. "I will not accept this disrespectful behaviour from you."

She snorted softly – just not loudly enough for him to hear. He resumed his pacing and she re-focused on her book.

"And then that Galinda girl," he continued, huffing. "Who does she think she is? What makes them think the way I treat you is any of their business? Your father and I made an arrangement and we agreed on certain things. That is our right. You're Frexspar's daughter and you're my fiancée."

He didn't say it aloud, but the implication of his words was clear: she belonged to him now. She heard what he wasn't saying and she hated it.

"She is far too outspoken for a young lady, anyway," Avaric said. "Women shouldn't be concerning themselves with what is and is not fair, and women certainly should not rule. Did you hear that prince? His sister goes to university! Ha!" He shook his head. "Not to mention Nessarose. Your father is a hypocrite, did you know that? He hands you over to me, telling me you will be a perfectly obedient wife for me. He tells me he does not want you to be educated in anything but the arts of society and motherhood. And then he goes and makes Nessarose, who is not only a woman, but also in a wheelchair, the governor of an entire province. Is he crazy?"

Elphaba opened her mouth to defend her sister, not liking the way Avaric talked about Nessa, but he raged on.

"It's none of my business, though. What Frex does with Nessarose is of no concern to me. You, on the other hand, are." He looked at her. "From now on, I do not want you to socialise with that Galinda girl again," he said. "She is a bad influence."

Elphaba bristled. "She's the only friend I have here!"

"Then make other friends." He made a dismissive hand gesture. "There are plenty of kind and well-raised young ladies here. Befriend them."

"I don't want to befriend them." She crossed her arms, knowing she was acting like a little girl, but not caring. "Galinda is my friend and I am not going to stop seeing her. You may be my fiancé, but you don't get to tell me what to do!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Watch it, Elphaba."

"Watch what?" She closed her book and rose to her feet. "I have a working brain, you know. I have feelings, too. I'm not going to let you control my life."

"You are." He slowly approached her, like a predator would his prey, and she instinctively recoiled a little at the feral look in his eyes.

"I am in control of your life, Elphaba," he said in a low voice. "I will be your husband soon and that means I will take over your father's job."

"My father didn't control me, either!" She shook her head, desperate to make him understand. "I am my own person, Avaric. I will become your wife soon. I might become a mother one day and I promised you I'd try to be the woman you want me to be. Isn't that enough? You can't take everything away from me!"

"I can," he spat, taking another step closer to her. "And I will. Get used to it, Elphaba – I'm deciding everything for you. Everything. Where you do and do not go. What you will and will not wear. How you are going to name our children. Who you talk to, who you befriend, what you do. You. Are. Mine!"

She slapped him.

He gasped, his hand flying up to his cheek.

"I," she said, raising her chin, "do not belong to anyone."

She turned around and went to leave the room; but before she could, he had lurched forward and grabbed her wrist so tightly he was probably bruising it.

"Look at me," he ordered.

She fixed her gaze on the floor.

He grabbed her chin and forced her head up. "Look at me!" When she still refused to let her eyes meet his, he squeezed harder until she finally did look at him.

He struck her across the face so hard that her head was spinning. Her cheek stung and he brought his face closer to hers, his hot breath wafting across her skin. She closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"You will be mine, Elphaba," he whispered harshly. "No matter what you say or do, you can't talk me out of this. I will marry you and I will break you if need be. You will be everything I ever wanted my wife to be – nothing more, nothing less. Get these crazy ideas out of your head."

With that, he let go of her and left the room. She sank down to the floor, cradling her cheek and promising herself that no matter what, she would not give up.

Favourite lines? :)