(A/N: hihi! Ok, so I was soooo pleased with the number of reviews for the last chapter! WOW! Most I've ever gotten for a chapter. To me, it's a big number. Thanks! Anyhu, this chapter may seem a little boring, but it's necessary for the next chapter. There will be a major plot twist to come...! So...uh...thanks to everyone and yeah. So enjoy:! review if you please)
Fiyero sat outside of the room as the doctor examined Elphaba. He'd shooed his mother and father away and everyone else but the doctor. His head was buried in his hands as he concentrated on the positive. He heard the door open and close. Fiyero immediately looked up. The doctor looked rather grim. He held a clipboard, which he began to read from out loud to Fiyero.
"She suffers from severe malnourishment, a bone in her shoulder had been shattered by the blow from the musket, she's got a concussion from the blow to her head, she's running a dangerously high fever, multiple bruises, and she's lost an extreme amount of blood." the doctor listed off everything wrong with Elphaba, everything that could take her life, that would have to be healed, that might not be healed, that she'd have to endure, that Fiyero was responsible for.
"But she'll be ok, right?" asked Fiyero, as the list repeated itself in his head.
"I'll do everything in my power." said the doctor, "I'll be back tomorrow to check on her." the doctor walked away then, needing to get back to the Vinkun hospital. The doctor had originally wanted to take Elphaba to the hospital, but Fiyero wanted her with him. Fiyero walked to the door and rested a hand on the brass knob. She'd been put in one of the nicest rooms in the castle. It was large, with windows lining the walls and a feeling of life and freshness to it. He opened the door hesitantly and walked in. She lay in the bed, either unconscious or asleep. Her breathing was weak but other than normal. Her hair spread about the pillow in rivers of black silk. She had a bandage on the side of her neck, some blood had seeped through the white material. A sort of cast, or splint, was put on her shoulder. She was completely motionless. She was even taking in strong enough breaths for her chest to rise and fall. The thin sheets were pulled up to her stomach, probably in an effort not to overheat her. Fiyero pulled a chair next to her bed and sat there. He reached out and held her hand. Her skin was hot, almost searing and Fiyero had to force his tears back.
**********
Nessa and Fredrick were in his parents vacation house in the Emerald City. She spent almost every hour of the day with her Fredrick, her love, her life. He was everything she'd ever want, but he wasn't her sister, he could never be her. No one could. But still, as much as Nessa missed Elphaba, she still found it in herself to enjoy her time with Fredrick in the Emerald City. The city was beautiful and shining, wonderful. It was the hustle and bustle, the calm and collected, the advertisement capitol, the theater and arts trophy, it was the place to be. Nessa loved it there. Fredrick's parents were wonderful and lovely to Nessa. They were extremes in the political world, and they were constantly encouraging Fredrick's strive for a stance in the political community. When he wasn't with Nessa, he was at political meetings, improving his campaign for the senate of the Wizard of Oz. Nessa had no doubt he'd get the votes. Sometimes she even accompanied him to the meetings.
"Nessa!" Fredrick called one day, as he came home from a meeting, "The Wizard has invited us to the Emerald Palace to meet with him. He likes to get to know the people running for political standings in his office. He's a man that likes to know his country through and through, farmers to senators, Vinkuns to Munchkinlanders." The Wizard was a man in his middle ages, thirty-five maybe? He was a good leader, like the King of Oz, more King than Wizard actually. But Oz had never really had a King, and because the Wizard had arrived in such an unusual , almost magical way, he was deemed a Wizard. He was a happy, likeable man, but it was no secret that he longed for a family. He'd shown up without a wife and he remained that way. He loved the youth though and every citizen of Oz.
"But why should he want me there?" asked Nessa.
"Why not?" asked Fredrick, smiling at her, "We leave tomorrow and we'll stay about a week or so, the palace is not far from here, it's in the heart of the Emerald City.
"I can't wait." Nessa smiled up at him. He kissed her and she smiled.
*************
The door slowly swung open, Fiyero looked up and was surprised to see Galinda standing there.
"I haven't seen you or Elias in weeks so I came over. Your mother told me you'd be here." said Galinda. As far as she knew, Elias was still Elias, Elphaba was non-existent and nothing was wrong. She noticed the green girl in the bed.
"Oh my Oz!" Galinda gasped, "What happened?!"
"One of my guards tried to rape her." said Fiyero gruffly. Saying what might have happened so bluntly made Fiyero shiver, he never considered what might've happened had he not reached her. He'd never thought of the incident as attempted rape, but that was what it had been. Fiyero held Elphaba's hand tighter.
"That's terrible!" Galinda squeaked, "But---who is she?" she asked, walking over to Fiyero and peering at the girl. Strangely, the girl had this beauty about her that Galinda did not expect to see, especially with all the green.
"This is Elphaba." said Fiyero, "You've met her."
"I have?" asked Galinda, truly puzzled.
"Elias." Fiyero sighed. The fake name suddenly felt dead as though Elias was gone, like a good friend died.
"What?!" Galinda squeaked, "No, no, no, that's a---girl." she stammered.
"Elphaba had to dress as a boy and take the job to avoid staying on the streets." said Fiyero.
"This is my friend?" asked Galinda, tears appearing in her eyes. Fiyero just nodded.
"Oh Elphie!" Galinda cried, the nickname coming naturally to her, "Oh, Elias, oh, whoever you are, oh friend." she began to cry then, "Oh, this is too much..." she whimpered, "Will she be okay?"
"I don't know." said Fiyero.
"Do you love her?" asked Galinda.
"Yes." said Fiyero. Galinda smiled a little at that, but one more look at the green girl, lying unconscious and ill on the bed made a fresh batch of tears appear on Galinda's face.
"I cannot believe this; I cannot comprehend any of what is happening!" Galinda cried.
"It's hard to comprehend." Fiyero agreed, quietly at first, "It's hard, life's hard, everything is so damn unfair and hard!" he yelled in frustration.
"I'll---I'll come back tomorrow." said Galinda, sniffling, "I need to go...think this through." she stumbled out of the room, giving Fiyero a quick hug before leaving. The King appeared at the door then.
"Fiyero...." the King began.
"Don't say anything." said Fiyero coldly, not even sparing his father a glance.
"Fiyero, I just wanted to--" the King went on anyhow.
"Wanted to what?" Fiyero yelled, standing up and finally facing his father, "Wanted to force me to send the person I love most to the dungeons? Force me to—to hit her? Lock her up? Kill her? Sell her?! You want to force me to yell at her and say things I don't mean just in order to save her? Look at what you've made me do! She's nearly comatose, she hasn't waken in three days, she could be dying, she nearly got raped because of what you made me do!"
"That's not why I came to speak with you." said the King, calmly.
"Isn't it?!" Fiyero roared, "I had to treat her like a slave! I had to tell her I owned her."
"You do." said the King.
"I do not!" Fiyero yelled, "I do not own her, you don't own her, she is her own self, and belongs to nobody."
"Some would argue those statements." said the King, "Look Fiyero, I don't understand your relationship with the slave girl (Fiyero flinched at how his father called her 'slave girl') but, I know she must mean something to you and I—I don't know why but I think you deserve her and she deserves you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Fiyero spat.
"It means that you love her and I won't....stand in the way of that." said King, "And you mustn't blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault."
"That's right, it's yours." Fiyero said, "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked bitterly.
"I....don't know." said the King, "Why do the seasons change? Why does lightning strike? I'm as clueless as you as to why I am allowing this....relationship. She's below your status, you should be with the Gillikin girl, or a princess, someone of higher status than her. But, I'll let you carry on with her, because I saw your eyes when you were looking at her and I, have never seen anything in anyone's eyes as deep as that. Whatever the emotion was, it would be cruel of me to shatter it."
"Now you worry about being cruel?" asked Fiyero, "Have you just now taken your moral compass to the shop?"
"I admit I have not always been the nicest person," said the King, "But I have a heart Fiyero, no matter how hard it may be. And I'm sorry."
"Whatever," said Fiyero, "I don't care about your supposed soul and heart or your insincere apologies. I didn't ask for your consent to love her, I'll 'carry on' with her however I please, regardless of whether you approve of it or not. But I'll be lucky if she even speaks to me now. And now I'd appreciate it if you got the hell out of this room." The King sighed wearily and backed out of the room.
*********
"I'm not very good at that type of thing." the King grumbled as he saw his wife later.
"Did you apologize?" asked the Queen.
"I tried." said the King.