A/N: I hope you all are enjoying the story. Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter 5

"What is the meaning of this Fiyero?!" His father bellowed upon the doors of the King's private office being closed. Sergeant Zetti had been ordered to wait outside and he refused to budge from his spot outside the door. He also refused to hand over his standard issue saber and rifle and also refused to hand over Fiyero's rifle as well. That had been an issue but Fiyero had said that unless they wanted trouble from the Emerald City, they would do as he said. That clammed up both his father and the soldiers escorting them in.

"What that I married the woman I love or that I dare to bring her with me?!" Fiyero retorted.

"You bring one of Oz's most hated creatures into our kingdom, have the gall to tell me that you married her, and then bring the Gale Force into the Vinkus! Have you lost your mind?!" King Havel demanded.

"Don't you ever call Elphaba that again! I have loved her since Shiz and one would think when the Wizard came here and told you how I "betrayed" him and Glinda, you would have figured it out!" Fiyero shouted. The mention of Glinda's name caused the King to go to his desk and pull out the orders that he had received the previous day. He slammed them onto the large piece of quoxwood furniture.

"So she has bewitched you and Lady Glinda into believing she is redeemable! What of the deal I made with Sarima's family?! You would throw hundreds of years of tradition out the window for a witch?!" Havel wanted to know.

"Elphaba has not bewitched anyone! She has always been a good person! Her actions were twisted by the Wizard and Morrible in an attempt to get what they wanted – ultimate power over all of Oz. Without Elphaba we'd still be under the Wizard's thumb! I couldn't give two shits about your promise to Sarima's family! I never loved her and I will never marry her! I am married to Elphaba and with her I will stay whether you like it or not!" Fiyero bellowed back.

Down the hall in the Queen's sewing room, Elphaba could not help but overhear the shouting match that was going on. She cringed at the King's words; even beyond his disappearance the Wizard's evil deeds still caused her pain. The Queen's maids brought in tea and cookies and the Queen let them serve it in the fancy china cups.

"Is it true that you were once the Wicked Witch of the West?" The question sidetracked the green-skinned woman from the less than quiet conversation her husband was having with his father. The Queen handed her a tea cup and saucer before sipping some of the hot liquid herself.

"There are things that are true and things that are not. Am I a witch? Yes, I am. Did I come from the West? No, I did not. I hailed from Munchkinland where my sister regrettably earned the name of Wicked Witch of the East. The people then called me the Wicked Witch of the West, given my relation to her. Am I "wicked"? I can honestly say that I do not have an answer for that. There are many who think of me as such and almost just as many who do not, so it is a question of personal judgment I suppose," Elphaba gave a shrug.

"Fiyero must not think of you in such a way. He has stood up to his father many times but he has never been so vehement in his life about anything. I must warn you that my husband is a good man but he has some backward views of the ways things are. He will say things that will probably offend you as it is quite obvious he has offended Fiyero," the Queen told her.

"I have caused your family a lot of heartbreak milady. I am very sorry," Elphaba hung her head and stared at the tea cup that sat on the saucer in her left hand. The Queen set down her tea cup and saucer on the nearby table before gently lifting Elphaba's chin so that the green-skinned woman would look her in the eyes.

"You have done no such thing. You have brought my only son back to me when I thought he was dead. I will never be able to repay you for that. You loved him so much that you saved him from not only the Gale Force but himself. If he only ever wants to be your husband, that will be a goal that I can understand and get behind. That boy never had a goal in his life besides to party. You have changed him for good," Queen Eliska said.

"I…" Elphaba started. The Queen shushed her with a wave of her hand. She then took Elphaba's tea cup and saucer away from her before pulling her into a hug. Immediately the green woman stiffened.

"I'm sorry, it's a reflex. I…" she tried to explain as the Queen released the hug.

"I understand it well sweetheart. Do not worry. Lady Glinda sent orders for you and Fiyero to be at her upcoming wedding but she sent me a letter along with it. I know of your pain and I know what your childhood was like. She promised me that I wasn't supposed to tell you she told me but we share more in common than you know," Eliska admitted, taking the younger woman's hands in hers. Elphaba looked at her wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded that a Queen would admit such a thing. She was about to say something when the door to the room burst open.

"You have poisoned my son against me!" The King shouted. His anger boiled when he saw the two women's hands together.

"And my wife!" He charged at Elphaba with malice in his eyes.

To Be Continued…

Yes the Queen's statement is not exactly proper grammar but I couldn't help myself. lol. Thanks again!