Chapter Four: A Strange Proposition

Why was she nervous about this? He'd made himself clear that it wasn't anything bad, but she didn't like the mystery surrounding this little meeting. Did he want to copy her homework? Maybe that was it. He'd seen her notes and now he wanted more from her. Well, he was out of luck. She had more integrity than that, and she'd tell him so!

He smiled at her when she sat down across from him. "Good afternoon, Elphaba."

"Let's just get down to whatever it is you want to talk about, Fiyero. Skip the pretense."

Fiyero laughed at that. "Of course. You never mince words." He put down the menu he'd been looking at. "You remember how I told you that I need to be engaged by next year."

Already this had taken a turn she wasn't expecting, though she still didn't know where it was going. "I do recall you saying something about that, yes."

"I don't need to be married until after I've taken the throne."

"I suppose that's convenient. But, Fiyero, I don't see what this is all about."

"I don't have the time to find someone right now. But I don't want to marry the woman my parents chose for me. I want the freedom to choose. It has occurred to me that if I were to find someone who'd be willing to play the part of fiancée, I could delay actually finding a bride until after I've taken the throne. At that point, I don't have to follow my parents' rules anymore and I can do what I please."

He couldn't be getting at what she was thinking. "You're very clever in thinking of that."

"Except playing that part would be hard on someone's romantic life. And the it would need to be believable, the kind of girl I might actually fall in love with."

"Right."

"I don't see any other girl willing to sacrifice her love life. Except you don't want one to begin with."

So he was saying what she thought he was. "You're asking me? To pretend we're engaged?"

"Not engaged just yet. People wouldn't believe that unless we'd been seeing each other first. Or at least, unless they thought we had. I'm asking you to pretend to be my girlfriend and yes, eventually fiancée." He couldn't look her in the eyes.

"I thought you said it had to be believable. I'm not someone most men want to date, Fiyero."

"You don't know me well enough to know what I would want." He shot back.

She felt heat rush to her cheeks, the way it always did when this strange boy actually argued with her, challenged her in a way most people wouldn't dare. "I don't."

"Look, I know this is a crazy thing to ask, and I can't blame you if you refuse. I'd pay you for your time. And once I'm in power, I'd owe you a thousand favors."

She surprised herself. Elphaba was actually considering this. It would definitely help stop everyone from prodding her about her personal life. And Fiyero's people were pagans. Her father would be absolutely horrified, and she almost laughed just imagining his reaction when he found out. "I want the terms, then. Do I have to touch you? How, exactly, do we convince people of this?"

"It would start slowly. And yes, you'd have to touch me. No more than kissing, though, and we certainly wouldn't start there. Maybe some time next week, we'd show up somewhere holding hands. We'd tell people we're dating. You'd have to come out to the Vinkus to meet my parents. I would meet your family, too, probably. Elphaba, if you don't want to lie to them, it won't work. You can tell one person. Nessa, maybe."

"Glinda."

"What?"

"I'd tell Glinda. Nessa would buy it. Glinda knows me too well."

"Are you agreeing?"

"I'm saying that I'll take it under consideration." She knew that, logically, what he was asking was not so bad. "We'd have to kiss?"

"Is that a deal breaker?"

"No. I'm not a prude." She stuck her nose in the air and glared at him. "I can do that. If I decide I want to do this."

"You're going to go back to your room and talk to Glinda about this, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"I know you better than you think I do. Talk it over with her if you want, so long as she promises not to say anything about this one way or the other."

"I know it might shock you, but she's actually quite good at keeping secrets."

"If you trust her, that's enough for me. Now order something. I'm buying."

Elphaba wondered how to best broach the subject with Glinda and wished she had more time, but he wanted an answer tomorrow. "I had an interesting talk with Fiyero today," she said quietly.

The blonde looked up from her sorcery book and put her wand down. "Oh?"

She tried to put this as carefully as she could. "He wants me to pretend to date him and eventually pretend we're engaged so that he can get out of his arranged marriage."

Glinda gaped at her. "He wants what?"

"You heard me."

"That is the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"I thought it was pretty strange, too. But I can't really blame him. It's a good idea, and he doesn't want to marry some stranger his parents picked. I don't know if I'm the girl he should've asked."

"May I ask if he told you why he asked you?"

"Because not many girls would pretend to date someone else for that long. It would get in the way of having real relationships. He knows that won't bother me."

"And you're going to do this? What's in it for you?"

"A million favors from the king of the Arjiki tribe when he takes the throne. Once he takes the throne, our engagement can end and he can take his time finding someone else. But he'll owe me. Not to mention the idea of me dating a Vinkun boy would scandalize my father." She didn't add that he'd offered to pay her. Elphaba didn't want his money. It made her feel like a whore – even if she wasn't actually doing anything. "And I'm not sure if I'm going to or not. I actually thought I might ask you what you thought."

Glinda chewed on her lip for a moment. "I'm not sure it's the best idea for you."

"What do you mean for me?"

"You're going to make me say this?" As she shook her head, curls fell everywhere. "Elphaba, I've seen the way you look at Fiyero. Maybe it's not the best idea to pretend to be in a relationship with someone you actually have feelings for."

Glaring at Glinda, Elphaba thrust her hands onto her bed. "I don't have feelings for him. Or anyone." Perhaps she'd thought to herself that he was somewhat attractive, that his differentness was appealing. And sure, she enjoyed talking to him more than any other boy she knew. But that meant absolutely nothing to her.

"If you say so." But Glinda was clearly still skeptical.

"I barely know him," she insisted.

"You asked for my advice, Elphaba. I was just making an observation. If you truly don't have feelings for him, and you're certain there won't be another man in the next few years that you might be interested it, go ahead and do it. I don't know why you're even asking me if you've already made up your mind."

"I haven't. And I need… Glinda, if I do this, I need to make it real. I need to know what I'm doing. I have no idea. You can coach me, watch me and save me if I do something stupid. And you need to go along with it. I know you know well enough to be able to tell when I'm lying. So I'm telling you now. I'm not going to hide this from you if it is what I do."

"I appreciate that. And I will keep my lips sealed on the topic whatever you do. But you need to be careful, Elphie. He could break your heart."

"Not if I don't let him."