Hello again! As you've probably noticed, I seem to have fallen into the rhythm of posting a chapter every two days. So here's the next chapter right on time. Thanks you so much to all of my amazing reviewers. I was really surprised and extremely happy with all of the response. Thanks to everyone who's reading this, and on to the next chapter.

Fiyero awoke the next morning to find that the Witch was already gone. His empty plate from the night before had been taken, and in its place sat a fresh bowl of fruit. Fiyero was relieved to find that the food he'd eaten the night before didn't seem to have had any sort of negative effect on him. At least now he would be able to eat without fearing for his life.

Glancing around, Fiyero registered with some surprise that the boulder that blocked off his room had once again been rolled back, allowing him access to the main part of the cave. Fiyero stared at the opening in disbelief. He'd been sure that the Witch would never let him out again after the incident that had taken place yesterday.

Sitting up and stretching, Fiyero scooted closer to the bowl of fruit and began to eat. Vaguely he wondered what time of day it was. He had no way of telling now, as there were no windows in the underground cave. He wondered if he'd ever see sunlight again, or if he was doomed to live out the rest of his days underground.

Still, Fiyero mused, being a prisoner of Oz's most infamous fugitive was really not as exciting or terrifying as one would expect. After all, she was hardly ever around, and when she was she almost never interacted with him at all. Fiyero knew he should probably be waiting for the other shoe to drop, but he really wasn't worrying about that right now. After all, why should he stress himself out worrying about the future when all was well in the present?

Upon finishing his meal, Fiyero stood and wandered back out into the main part of the cavern. He was relieved to find that he was indeed alone once more. Almost immediately he crossed the room and flipped the rock under which he'd found the Witch's belongings yesterday. However, as was expected, the small hollow underneath was now completely empty.

Straightening up, Fiyero glanced around the room, trying to determine where the Witch could possibly have hidden her things. There was nothing obviously out of place in the room, though Fiyero assumed there were probably more hidden storage areas like the one under the stone. However, without a lead it was impossible to even begin a search, and so Fiyero simply let the idea go for the time being.

Now Fiyero stood in the center of the room with no idea as to what he should do next. After all, he'd explored the small cavern in its entirety yesterday, and Fiyero could think of nothing else to do to keep himself busy. He took a seat on a nearby stone, but after a few moments he began to fidget and grew restless. Suddenly desperate for some way to occupy his time, Fiyero realized that the tattered books on the other side of the room were beginning to look rather appealing.

Shaking his head, Fiyero realized he really must be going mad if he was even entertaining the notion of reading. After all, he'd never really read a book of his own free will in his life. Still, boredom won out eventually, and he soon found himself standing before the pile of books, unsure of how to go about this. He picked up the one on top, the book on Animal rights he'd seen yesterday, and examined the worn cover for a moment. He really wasn't too interested in the subject matter, but none of the other books looked much better and so he decided he'd just have to make due for now.

Returning to his stone, he took a seat and simply stared at the book for a moment. How did these things work again? He believed you were supposed to start at the beginning, but this seemed rather boring. Deciding he didn't feel like reading the whole book, Fiyero opened it up to a page in the middle and began to read the words with little interest.

However, Fiyero found he was becoming drawn into what he was reading, and he soon became more attentive. He'd never seen Animals defined quite like this. According to this book they were not savage beasts, but rather creatures who could think and feel in the same way as humans. But…that wasn't true was it? If what this book said was true than why in Oz's name would the Wizard be saying something completely different?

The book not only described Animals in a new way, it also gave a bit of insight into their history. Apparently there had always been discrimination against them, beginning with the Great Drought. People had blamed the Animals for it, and since then that had become a sort of trend. Fiyero shook his head; surely that wasn't true. After all, how did he even know he could trust a book he'd found in the possession of the Wicked Witch?

Still, Fiyero continued to read, still somewhat interested in the material even though he knew it to be untrue. As he turned the page, he was startled as a small piece of paper slipped from between two pages and fluttered to the floor. Fiyero bent over to retrieve it, examining it as he picked it up. It was a short note, with only a few words scribbled in an untidy scrawl. It looked like the person who had written them had trouble operating a pencil. The note read:

Miss Elphaba,

Thank you for all of your kindness. Remember to never stop speaking out.

Doctor Dillamond

Fiyero simply stared at the card, now puzzled once more. Who was this Doctor Dillamond, and why was this short note wedged between the pages of an Animal rights book? And there was that name again, Elphaba. He had by now realized that this was the Witch's real name, though he still could not bring himself to associate the name with the evil woman who had imprisoned him. After all, even if she had been this Elphaba person at some point, she was the Wicked Witch of the West now and that was all that mattered.

Returning his attention to the card, Fiyero flipped it over to see if anything was written on the back. He was met with the sight of a school crest, the words 'Shiz University' written across it in a neat cursive. Underneath was an address and the words 'Current Headmistress: Madame Morrible'.

This seemed to confuse Fiyero even further. Why would this Dillamond person have written on the back of a card from Shiz? Had he perhaps been a professor there? After all, his title was 'Doctor' Dillamond; it was completely plausible. But if this Dillamond character had been the one to present this book to the Witch, did that mean she had attended the university as well?

The notion seemed ridiculous from the moment it entered his mind. After all, who could picture the Wicked Witch of the West sitting in a college classroom and taking notes like a normal person? Still, Fiyero couldn't shake the idea. After all, he mused, the Witch had been a person before she'd become a fugitive. Who's to say she hadn't attended college?

That was when Fiyero realized that this was the first time he'd ever actually though of the Witch as an actual person. Before now he'd really only seen her as what Oz made her out to be: a Wicked Witch. Although he still saw her that way, he now recognized that there must have been something to bring her to this point. After all, hadn't she been a child once, and hadn't she had parents just like everyone else? Fiyero knew she even had a sibling, the Wicked Witch of the East, who was now causing trouble as the governor of Muchkinland. Perhaps the Witch had even had friends at one point. Was she born wicked, or had something happened in her life that had caused her to choose this path? Fiyero's brain was beginning to ache from the effort of thought.

Returning his attention to the Shiz card, he recognized the name Madame Morrible, which was printed next to the word 'Headmistress'. The woman had been the headmistress during Glinda's days at Shiz, and she now served as the Wizard's press secretary. She was the one who had made the public announcement about the Wicked Witch of the West's first evil deed. Fiyero wondered if Morrible had known the Wicked Witch as Elphaba at some point.

Furthermore, Fiyero wondered if Glinda had known the Witch during college. After all, they'd both gone to the same school under the same headmistress. Fiyero doubted they'd gone at the same time though. He wasn't sure how old the Witch was, but he was pretty sure she was a great deal older than Glinda. He'd have to tell Glinda of his discoveries when he returned home. He was excited for a moment before he realized with a sinking feeling that he wouldn't be returning home.

Suddenly not in the mood to read anymore, Fiyero slid the note back into the pages of the book and set it on the stone table beside the Witch's spell book. He dropped his chin into his hands for a few moments, lost in thought once more. It was strange, over the course of the past three days he'd done more thinking than he'd probably done in his entire life up until this point. Oz, he'd even actually read a book.

Fiyero was so detached from reality that he suddenly fell from his seat as the large boulder that was the entrance to the cave flew open. He picked himself up the floor just in time to see a frantic Wicked Witch rush by in a blur of green and black, holding something Fiyero couldn't identify in her arms.

For a moment Fiyero expected to be shouted at again and then forced to return to his cavern. However, he froze as he realized there was something wrong with the Witch. Her face held none of its usual malice, and she certainly did not appear as composed as she usually was.

She turned to Fiyero as if just noticing him, and her voice was considerably less piercing as she spoke, "You, bring me some water. I need help!"

OK, and there's chapter five. Still pretty uneventful, I realize, but it should be picking up. Next chapter will be more eventful, I promise. Well anyways, please leave me a review and tell me what you thought. I'd quite appreciate it!

S.P.