A/N: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. The area where I live was hit by a nasty snow storm and most of last week was spent hoping the power didn't go out, shoveling out, and finally getting out after the travel bans were lifted. I hope you enjoy it.
A/N2: I want to wish my American readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. :)
Chapter 15
Elphaba found herself on the floor, under the table and the tablecloth, with Fiyero on top of her. He had knocked them down but not out of danger as she realized she was bleeding from where a bullet had grazed her arm.
"Yero…" she didn't get a chance to finish as the sound of the men reloading could be heard then she heard a familiar voice.
"Drop your weapons or the bitch dies!" It was Sergeant Zetti. She could only guess that he'd managed to smuggle in a weapon into the talks and was now offering an ultimatum to the troops who had fired upon them. She then realized that Fiyero's breathing seemed labored and he had yet to speak to her.
"Fiyero speak to me!" Elphaba begged. He managed to gasp and said,
"I think I broke a rib or two. Good thing those guys can't hit the broad side of a barn." He was trying to joke but Elphaba was not in a joking mood. Broken ribs could lead to a more serious problem.
"I mean it! If you don't drop your weapons right this second, I execute her!" Zetti shouted again. This time the sound of weapons hitting the floor could be heard, followed by King Havel's shouts for nearby guards. They came rushing in and quickly rounded up the group.
"Throw them in the cells along with Sarima!" He barked. The guards hauled them away and Olaf and Private Roth quickly went to Fiyero and Elphaba.
"Be careful! He possibly has broken ribs," she told them as the two gingerly lifted the Prince off of his wife and into a chair. They quickly checked him over and found blood seeping from a graze on his leg.
"He's bleeding," Olaf announced and Glinda, whom Captain Khalil had dived on, pushed her fiancé off of her and rushed over. Roth and Zetti helped Elphaba up to find that she too was bleeding but it wasn't serious.
"I've got this," she smiled confidently and quickly whipped up a spell to heal Fiyero. Elphaba took care of her own wound and then the two ladies headed out into the hallway to see if they could help anyone whom Sarima's party had harmed.
"What have you done?" The Senator asked. He looked as though he would pass out; the color had vanished from his cheeks.
"She almost killed my son and was trying to kill my daughter-in-law. What exactly should I have done?" The King asked.
"Now war will be unavoidable. Once word gets out that my daughter has been arrested I will not be able to control the other leaders of our tribe. Not to mention that word has already spread of whom Fiyero married. The anger will not be quelled. They will march on the capital city and I will not be able to stop them," Marek explained.
"Will no diplomacy work?" Queen Eliska asked.
"I fear not. I can try but I would not hold my breath. I was already skating on thin ice when I agreed to meet with the King. Many of my people wanted to go to war then and I begged them to give diplomacy a chance. Now, there will be no other option," the Senator slowly rose from his seat as Elphaba and Glinda walked back in through the doors of the room.
"The soldiers out in the hallway are all dead. I am very sorry King Havel," Glinda heaved a sigh; her hands and the front of her dress were covered in blood.
"Then I will do the only thing I can do. The actions of Sarima and her troops are an act of war. The Arjiki are now at war with the Scrow," Havel heaved a sigh and the Senator nodded before collecting what remained of his family and heading for the door.
"You will not be able to make safe passage home, my friend. You must stay here for your own safety," Havel said.
"If I do not return they will ask why. I must return and take my chances," Marek told him.
"Aydin, please you must not," the Queen begged, knowing that he would be attacked by Arjiki troops long before he reached the shared border between the Arjiki and Scrow tribes. There was even a possibility of his own people attempting to assassinate him; after all there were some who did not want war.
"Then you give me no choice. Men, arrest them, conspiracy to aid Sarima. Lock them in the rooms in the East Wing," the charge was false but it would be the only way to keep them safe. The East Wing was rarely used by the King and Queen and would offer safe haven until the battles were over and the whole mess sorted out. As they were led away, Elphaba turned to Fiyero and asked,
"What now?"
To Be Continued…