Alright, so Chapte 21. This is officially the longest story I've even written now, which is kind of cool. So far I've actually managed to finish another chapter, so right now I've got up to Chapter 24. We'll see, maybe I'll get further than that. I believe that if I do this story properly and the way I intend to, it should be somewhere between 35-40 chapters at completion. So that is kind of ambitious.

Anyway, thank you again to everyone who reviewed. It really does motivate me to know that there are people out there who want to know what happens next. I hope you'll enjoy the next few chapters. I'm kind of surprised myself with the direction they ended up taking since I genuinely had no idea what to do when I picked this back up.

Anyway, onwards and upwards.

Fiyero felt his blood run cold. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what he'd just heard. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but found he could not remember how to produce sound. Filo watched him coolly, betraying nothing.

After a few moments, the Panther spoke again, "I take it from your reactions then, that my suspicions were correct and you are indeed Fiyero Tiggular?"

Finally the gears in Fiyero's brain seemed to start turning again, and he managed to respond, "Y-yes, that's me."

"Then, as I said, it would seem that this piece of news was fictitious, and the only reason I can think of for fabricating such a story would be to lure Elphaba into a trap," said Filo.

Fiyero sank back into his chair, his head swimming. Surely, Elphaba wouldn't have taken any crazy risks on his account? After all, she wasn't exactly thrilled with him. Surely she wouldn't risk her own capture to save his sorry hide?

But a nagging voice in the back of his head told him otherwise. Though Fiyero admitted he had only spent a short time with Elphaba, rushing headlong into danger to rescue someone else seemed to him exactly the sort of thing she would do. Couple that with the fact that she would believe it to be her fault and Elphaba would never be able to resist. Whoever had spread this rumor had known exactly what buttons to push. Fiyero only hoped he wasn't too late to stop Elphaba from falling for it.

Suddenly panicked, Fiyero sprung from his chair and said, "Please you have to tell me whatever you know. I have to stop her before it's too late!"

Filo looked Fiyero up and down once more, still making no sign of any emotion. It was beginning to weigh on Fiyero's nerves that the Cat could be so composed at a time like this.

Finally, the Panther stood and nodded. "I do believe you are being sincere," he said finally, "And I will try to help you to the best of my ability. As I told you earlier, Elphaba left early last night, just as the sun went down."

Fiyero didn't like the sound of that. "Was she planning to travel on foot, or did she have her broomstick with her?" he asked, hoping it was the former. If she'd gone by air he would have little to no way of catching her.

"I believe her plan was to fly through the forest, where she could use the cover of the trees to avoid being spotted. From there she would continue on foot. Knowing Elphaba, I can almost guarantee she will not act until the sun sets tonight. She will want the cover of darkness." Filo responded.

Fiyero's heart fell, "It's no good then. It took me more than a day's walk just to make it through the forest and find this place, and then it's an additional half a day's journey to the Emerald City from there. On foot there's no way I'll be able to make it there by tonight."

Filo nodded and was silent for a moment, as though he were lost in thought. After a moment he replied, "On foot no, but I do think there may be a way we can help you."

Filo made his way towards the entrance to the tent again, and motioned for Fiyero to follow. His curiosity piqued, Fiyero did so without second thought. They weaved their way through more rows of tents, Fiyero not quite sure how to keep track of where they were going. He wondered briefly how the Lion was making out, but his train of thought was cut short when Filo motioned for him to stop.

Fiyero was told to wait outside while Filo entered a nearby tent. Unsure of what to do with himself, Fiyero rocked nervously on his heels and stared down at his hands, trying to ignore all of the strange looks he was receiving from passersby. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Filo emerged from the tent, followed by a young chestnut colored Horse. Fiyero had never seen a Horse before, and he marveled at how tall the creature was when it stood up on its hind legs.

Fiyero understood immediately, though he felt a bit abashed at the concept. Sure enough, Filo said, "This is Taison, he has agreed to help you reach the Emerald City by nightfall. We Animals know this area well, and Taison is quite fast. He will be able to get you there in time."

Fiyero wasn't sure what the implications of this were for the Horse. Turning to face Taison, he said, "I thank you for the offer, but are you sure you're okay with this?"

Taison nodded and waved his hoof, "Absolutely. I have already agreed to help you for Miss Elphaba's sake."

Fiyero was once again taken aback at how much love Elphaba seemed to have garnered in the Animal community. It was astounding what dichotomous opinions of the woman could be found among the different factions in Oz.

Having heard the Horse's agreement for himself, Fiyero nodded gratefully. Filo disappeared into Taison's tent once more, and returned a few moments later holding a leather saddle. Taison dropped to all fours and allowed it to be fastened to his back. He seemed less than happy with the arrangement, but said nothing.

Once the saddle was firmly in place, Taison turned to Fiyero and said, "So I will be carrying you on my back, but I won't have you digging your heels into my side. You just sit tight and I'll do the steering. Also I won't be wearing reins, so you're just going to have to hold on as best you can.

Fiyero nodded his understanding. He was fairly confident he wouldn't have a problem. He was comfortable on horseback. He had learned to ride as a boy and had often been mounted on Gale Force missions.

With that, Fiyero placed his feet in the stirrups and pulled himself up onto Taison's back. He marveled at how this felt exactly like riding a regular horse, though he knew better than to voice the thought aloud.

He was about to tell Taison he was ready to leave, when he remembered the Lion once more. He didn't want to waste time going to find the Cat himself, so instead he turned to Filo and said, "My friend, the Lion I came here with earlier, can you tell him I've gone to find my missing friend? Don't give him more information than that for now. As it stands he's only heard the Wizard's propaganda about Elphaba, and he believes the stories about the Wicked Witch of the West. Just tell him I wish him luck, and that I hope to see him again soon if I'm able."

Fiyero felt bad to leave the Lion on his own in a new place like this, but he'd feel even worse if he dragged him along to the Emerald City and put him in danger. No, it would be better if the Cat stayed behind at the camp and began to socialize with his own kind.

That taken care of, Fiyero let Taison know he was ready to go and the Horse took off at a cantor. As they made their way through the camp, Animals who did not know what was going on stared open mouthed at the pair as they went by. Finally they made their way out of the camp, and Taison shouted a quick "Hang on!" before taking off in a gallop so fast that Fiyero nearly went flying off the Horse's back. He made a wild grab for Taison's neck and held on for dear life until he could adjust to the new speed.

After a few moments Fiyero regained his bearings and shifted into a more manageable position. Taison had not opted to go through the forest, but had chosen a different route Fiyero did not recognize. He was grateful for this decision, as it would have been difficult to maintain their current speed while trying not to flatten themselves against a tree.

They carried on at a brisk pace for the better part of the afternoon, before Taison slowed his gait a bit. A short while later they took a rest, during which Fiyero finished what was left of his provisions and Taison ate some oats from a sack he'd had strapped to his saddle.

Once they'd regained their strength, the pair continued their journey. As the sky began to lose its first bit of light, the Emerald City skyline appeared on the horizon. Fiyero could feel the cold weight of apprehension sitting in his gut, but he tried not to think about it as the shining green buildings loomed ever closer.

Just before the city gates, Fiyero dismounted and nodded his thanks to Taison. It wouldn't be safe for the Horse within the city, even if he did remain as inconspicuous as possible. He couldn't enter the palace with Fiyero, and once the Winkie prince went in there would be no telling whether he'd be coming out alive again.

Still the Horse protested, "Let me take you as far as the palace at least."

Fiyero shook his head, "No. You've been a greater help than I could have asked for. Thank you, but I need to go alone from here."

After a moment the Horse nodded and said, "All right then. Good luck, to both of you."

With that Taison turned back the way he'd come and set off again. Fiyero watched his retreating back until it was out of sight, and then turned back to the task at hand. For a moment Fiyero worried that he might be recognized within the city. However, he was currently more grimy, disheveled and unshaven than he'd even dared to appear in public before, and he was also not in uniform, so he doubted he would be recognized by anyone who happened to take a passing glance. With a deep breath, he made his way into the city he'd once called home with a level of apprehension he'd never experienced before.

The last of the sunlight was draining now, and Fiyero was truly beginning to worry. If Elphaba had come to the city to attempt a rescue then she was going to begin putting her plans into action soon. Fiyero had a fairly good idea where he would find her if she went through with her plan. He truly hoped he'd be wrong. He hoped Elphaba had ignored the news of his capture and hadn't come to his aid.

As expected, no one paid Fiyero any mind as he walked briskly down the city streets. He would have preferred to run flat out, but he didn't want to do anything that would attract unwanted attention. He went around the palace from the back way. The guards' shifts would be changing soon, as they did every night. There would be a small window, when the new guard came to take his post, where they wouldn't be paying as much attention to their surroundings. Fiyero waited for this and then, seizing his moment, scrambled over the green brick wall at the back of the palace, barely managing to keep his grip and avoid falling flat on his back.

Once he was over the gate, he was completely reliant on the darkness and his own skills as a Gale Force member to hide him. One of the benefits of having been trained to hunt the Wicked Witch of the West was the wide variety of stealth training that he was now putting to good use. Once he was sure the coast was clear, Fiyero began to make his way towards the dungeons.

And that's that. I'm really trying hard to keep the timeline of this thing straight. Since there's been such a long gap since I started it I keep having to go back and double check how long all of this running back and forth between different places is taking and keep it consistent. I hope I've been doing at least a passable job so far.

Hope you enjoyed, I'll see you next time.

S.P.