AN: This chapter is... pretty grim and kind of horrible. Not as bad as the next one will be, though.
I'd like to give a shoutout to my guest reviewer. I keep re-reading your review, blushing like an idiot and grinning goofily every time. I hope you don't mind I posted it on Facebook as well... and on Twitter... I just felt really honoured. Thank you so, so much!
14. To Kill a Prince
By the time they reached the lower levels again, there was complete chaos. People were running through the hallways, pushing one another in an attempt to get through. They were carrying clothes, bags, suitcases, or small children. Many of the children they saw were crying, clearly not understanding what was going on, while their parents carried or dragged them through the throngs of people, trying to get to the lifeboat deck as soon as possible. When Elphaba glanced down the staircase, she could, much to her surprise and shock, already see the water. It was slowly rising, already nearly reaching the final step. Soon this floor would start to fill with water as well.
She followed Fiyero through hallways and up and down several flights of stairs, trusting that he knew which direction to go in, until they emerged on the lifeboat deck. There, however, the chaos was even bigger than it had been on the lower decks.
The trained ship guards were blocking the way to the lifeboats, constantly shouting, "Women and children first! Women and children first!" Men were trying to push through. To Elphaba and Fiyero's right, there was a woman with three small children trying to get onto a lifeboat; but the guard refused to let her through, claiming that first-class women and children should go first and that, since this woman only travelled third class, she was going to have to wait for her turn.
"This is madness," Elphaba said, shocked. Fiyero nodded and pulled her closer to the guards. She stood on her tiptoes, eyes scanning the crowd for people she knew. Oz, she hoped Galinda and Boq were okay… would they have managed to get into one of the lifeboats? Some of the boats had already been let down and were now floating on the water around the ship – maybe they were on one of those.
She thought Galinda had a pretty big chance of having conquered a place in one of the boats. She was a woman, after all, and an upper-class one, too. No-one would have refused her. But Boq? If they were really that strict about only letting on women and children, maybe Boq was still around here somewhere, trying to save himself by getting to a lifeboat no-one would let him into. The thought made Elphaba feel sick to her stomach. There were so, so many people… and only so few places in the lifeboats.
"We're never going to make it," she said breathlessly, but Fiyero shook his head.
"We're the governor's daughter and the prince of the Vinkus," he reminded her. "They'll let us on, don't worry."
One of the guards stopped them when they tried to push past him. "Only women and children!"
"Sir," Fiyero said, "I'm Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, and –"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," the man said, not unkindly. "I have my orders. I can only let through women and children."
Fiyero turned to Elphaba and she could see in his eyes what he was going to say before he even said it.
"No," she said immediately.
He took her hands in his. "Fae…"
"No, Fiyero. I'm not going without you."
"It might be your only chance!" He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, looking at her pleadingly. "Elphaba… I love you. I just need to know that you're safe."
She shook her head. "If you're not coming, then I'm not going anywhere," she said simply. "I'm not going without you, Yero. Over my dead body."
He grinded his teeth. "That is exactly what will happen if you don't go now!"
"We can try the other guards," she suggested. "Maybe one of them is willing to let you on with me."
He hesitated, then nodded. "We could try that."
"Frexspar!" Avaric shouted, knocking on the door leading to the governor's chambers. "Governor Thropp, I need to talk to you!"
The door opened and the younger man stormed inside, eyes burning. "Elphaba took off with that Winkie prince again," he hissed, "and they're trying to get into a lifeboat."
Frex frowned. "Lifeboat?"
"The ship is sinking, Thropp!" Avaric paced up and down the room. "Surely you've heard that by now?!"
"Elphaba came to tell me," Frexspar said, looking pale. "I didn't think…"
"Well, it's true." Avaric glared at him. "I cannot let her leave with that Winkie, Governor Thropp. You must understand that. She's mine and I still intend to marry her. I'm not letting her get away with this."
The governor frowned. "What do you want to do, then?"
Avaric reached inside of his jacket and pulled something from his inner pocket. It was a heavy, metal object that looked suspiciously like…
Frexspar gasped. "You brought a gun?!"
Avaric shrugged. "I thought it might come in handy." He looked at the governor, a scowl on his face. "I need your help, Governor. She will never leave without him, but she has to. I'm going to get off this ship and I'm going to take her with me, but I won't be able to do that without you."
The governor nodded slowly. "I'm assuming you have a plan?"
Avaric nodded and Frexspar gestured for him to sit down before taking place in an armchair himself, looking at the younger man in interest.
"I'm listening."
"You know what you have to do, right?" Avaric looked at Frexspar, who nodded.
The governor turned to Nessarose. "Nessa, my darling," he said. "This man," he gestured towards the staff member Avaric had bribed, "will take you to one of the last lifeboats. Stay there and wait for me to join you, alright?"
Nessarose looked frightened. "What are you going to do?"
"I need to find your sister," he said, "and make sure she gets on a lifeboat, too. Don't worry, my dear, it will be alright." He kissed the top of her head and then sent her off with the staff member.
He looked at Avaric. "Let me get this straight," he said. "All I have to do is make sure that Winkie prince does not get on any of the lifeboats…"
"…while I take Elphaba and we get on a boat together," Avaric finished for him. "After we've left, you return to the boat Miss Nessarose is on and Elphaba and I will meet you two in Gillikin after we've been saved." He showed Frex a gun. "Just in case. Don't be afraid to use it."
Frex bit his lip. "Master Avaric, I –"
"You want to see your precious Miss Nessarose safe, don't you?" Avaric interrupted him sharply. "Well, I want to see my fiancée safe. I also want to see her away from that disgusting Tiggular prince. You help me out, Governor Thropp, and I help you out. That is how it works. And besides – if you had just gotten Nessarose into a lifeboat the moment Elphaba came to warn you, none of this would even have to happen, so you brought it on yourself." He impatiently pushed the gun into Frexspar's hands and strode off. "Follow me."
"They won't let me on."
"Then we'll find another one that will!"
"They're not going to, Elphaba. They have their orders." Fiyero grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes intently. "Fae. I will be fine, I promise," he said softly. "I will find a way. But you have to get into one of those boats before it's too late."
She looked about ready to burst into tears. "But…"
He wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her in an attempt to comfort her; but he suddenly stiffened when he felt something cold and hard pressing between his shoulder blades.
"Your Royal Highness," a smug voice said behind him, dripping with sarcasm. "How sweet of you to have looked after my fiancée for me. However," here Avaric moved from behind Fiyero and locked his fingers around Elphaba's arm, "I can take it from here."
Fiyero made to move towards them, but he felt the pressure of the gun again and he froze, startled. If Avaric was standing in front of him, then who…
His unspoken question was answered by Elphaba's gasp. "Father?!"
"I am sorry, Elphaba," Frexspar said gravely from behind Fiyero. "I simply cannot let you leave with him. Avaric is taking you to safety."
"You and I are going to get on a lifeboat together," Avaric told her firmly, "and we are going to travel to Gillikin, and we are going to get married. I'm not letting you go so easily." He glanced at Fiyero. "Think of it this way: Fiyero dies, but because your father is helping me do this, I made sure he and your little sister will at least survive. That counts for something, right? The life of a brainless Winkie prince for the Governor of Munchkinland and his precious, crippled daughter." He threw his head back and laughed. "I always win, Miss Elphaba. You should know that by now." With that, he started dragging her away from him.
"No!" She struggled against him. "Fiyero!"
Frex pressed the gun to Fiyero's temple, making sure Elphaba saw him doing so. "Do as Avaric says or the prince dies." His voice was colder than Elphaba had ever heard it and it frightened her.
"Father," she pleaded softly, "please…"
Frexspar shook his head and Fiyero suddenly found his voice again.
"Fae," he said, his voice hoarse.
She looked at him.
He nodded. "Go."
Her eyes widened. She shook her head wildly. "No! Fiyero…"
"Go!" he shouted. "There's nothing you can do to save me, anyway, and at least this way you will be okay. Just go, Fae. Please." He locked eyes with her. "I love you," he said softly. "I'll try everything I can to come back to you, I promise."
Frex pressed the gun to his head harder and Avaric dragged Elphaba with him impatiently. She kept on looking at Fiyero for as long as she could and then she lowered her gaze, deflating and allowing Avaric to pull her with him towards one of the boats.
Somehow, Avaric managed to get them both on; and she sat numbly, staring off into space. Frexspar appeared at the railing with Fiyero, the gun still aimed at the prince, to make sure she wouldn't do anything rash that would enable her to escape. She couldn't, anyway; Avaric had made sure she sat on the far end of the lifeboat. Even if she wanted to try and jump back onto the ship, she'd have to climb over Avaric first and he'd sooner throw her into the ocean than let her go back to Fiyero, she knew.
"You know," Avaric said casually as the lifeboat was being lowered towards the water, "there is actually no boat for Nessarose and the governor at all."
She blinked at him, shaken from her stupor. "What?"
"The promise I made your father," Avaric said, smirking. "It was a lie. The last lifeboats are leaving. Nessarose is still stuck on the ship and your father will be, too. They're going to die here in these icy cold waters along with your precious Winkie prince and there is nothing you can do about it, darling. It will be just you and me from now on – for the rest of our lives. We'll even inherit the governorship – I will be Governor of Munchkinland as well as Margrave of Tenmeadows!" He threw his head back and laughed.
A wave of nausea washed over her and she was sure her heart stopped for a few moments, her breath catching in her throat. She could hardly comprehend what he was saying. The possibility – the very likely possibility – of losing Fiyero was bad enough, but to realise that Avaric had lied to her father; that Frex and poor, helpless Nessarose would be floating around in this cold water soon, all the lifeboats gone… they had not been the best father and sister they could be, but she still loved them. They were her family. And now Avaric was taking thataway from her as well.
"You monster," she hissed, but he just snorted.
"You had it coming, you little slut. Now shut up and sit still."
He was taking everything away from her and there was nothing she could do about it…
…except taking everything away from him in return.
Her power coming to life in her veins, she spoke through gritted teeth. "They might die here in these icy waters," she said, her voice low and her dark eyes flashing and burning. "They might. But if they do, then you will, too."
Avaric opened his mouth – undoubtedly to ask her what in Oz she was talking about – but just then, they passed the lowest deck on the ship and Elphaba's hands shot out. Avaric screamed in surprise and rage when he found himself violently thrown backwards by her magical powers, out of the lifeboat and onto the lowest deck of the ship.
By the time he had realised what happened and scrambled back to his feet, the lifeboat was already down in the water and it was being rowed away from the ship, far out of Avaric's reach. She watched him hanging over the railing with a blank expression on her face.
She didn't feel anything. She knew she had most likely condemned him to death, but she could not find it in herself to care. Not after what he had done to her. Her father, Nessarose… Fiyero. If they were going down, Avaric had to go down with them. It was the only way she could keep on living.
As the boat moved away from the sinking ship, she thought that even though she was losing everyone she loved, she had at least escaped Avaric's power. At least she would not have to marry that horrible man and live the rest of her life in misery with him.
At least she was free, and that was the only thought that made her pain the slightest bit bearable.
Yeah. This was a pretty painful one to write - and like I said, the next one is even worse... and the one after that, too, I think :').