Chapter 9: Shiz, the Next Day/The Vinkus, Several Days Later
Fiyero was on his way from his last final when Boq came running up to him. "Hey, Fiyero. Dr. Dillamond has been looking for you and Elphaba. He says it's urgent and you need to see him right away."
Had something happened with the baby Owls? Checking his watch, he saw that he still had time before he had to head out. "Thank you. I'll go over there now. Has he found Miss Elphaba yet?"
"I believe he had sent someone after her." Boq shrugged. "If I don't see you later, by the way, enjoy your Lurlinemas."
"You, too." Fiyero took off at a trot towards the sciences building. He saw a few students dragging trunks out of the buildings and climbing into carriages. There were several students anxiously flipping through their books. Poor sods had a late final this afternoon, then, he thought.
He walked briskly down the hall and noticed that the lab door was closed and there was no light on. Where could the old Goat be? His office. Of course.
The door was propped slightly open, and through it he saw Elphaba standing stiffly looking towards the other side of the room. She looked tense, mouth open in horror, and when he stepped into the room, he saw why.
Sitting on Dr. Dillamond's desk were a pair of panties - her panties. The professor was looking at her reproachfully and she merely stared at them with wide eyes. As Fiyero entered and shut the door swiftly behind him, Dr. Dillamond turned to him. "Good, Master Boq caught you. I thought perhaps you two might explain this?"
He froze. Fiyero dared not look at Elphaba. Sex in that lab was not only against a thousand safety precautions, but it broke the student code of conduct. And of course, because it was between him and Elphaba, it was illegal. They were in trouble in a thousand different ways.
It was Elphaba who spoke. "It's not his fault, Dr. Dillamond. I'm sorry." Her voice was shaking. "I convinced him to leave me alone. He didn't know I was meeting someone. It was a boy I grew up with…" It was clear she was trying to lessen the punishment. If it was some boy from Munchkinland, she'd still be breaking rules but neither of them would've committed treason.
"Please don't lie to me, Miss Elphaba. Do you think I haven't noticed the way you two interact? The way you look at one another? I thought perhaps there might be some misplaced feelings, but I certainly never expected the two of you to act on them, especially given your respective positions in society. And in my laboratory!"
Fiyero cringed. "She didn't act on anything. I… I forced her to. When she wouldn't let me, I pushed her against the wall…"
"Fiyero, don't!" Elphaba cried. "For Oz's sake, you're better than that. I won't let you even say that. Besides, I'd never let you get away with that without repercussion and we all know it." She let out a shuddering breath. "Dr. Dillamond, it's not what you think."
"I think, Miss Elphaba, that you and Master Fiyero engaged in sexual intercourse last night in my lab. Am I wrong?"
"No, but you don't understand…"
The Goat scoffed. "What is there to understand?"
"We're married, Sir," Fiyero said shortly. "We have been since we started here."
Dr. Dillamond looked from Elphaba to Fiyero and back to Elphaba slowly. "But… you couldn't be. It's against the law. No one would dare perform such a marriage."
"My father would," Elphaba said. "If he thought it would do him some good."
Fiyero collapsed into a chair, the tension becoming too much. "It's a long story, Sir. But if you'll let us tell it, maybe you'll understand at least a little. Yes, what we did was incredibly inappropriate and it was a mistake and a stupid thing to do. But Elphaba and I have been married for several months and it just got out of hand."
Shaking his head slowly, the Goat sighed heavily. "Go ahead. I don't see what harm it could do now. I've already contributed to an act of treason by leaving the two of you alone."
Before Fiyero could begin, Elphaba fell into the other chair, buried her face in her hands and took in a loud breath of air. "Dr. Dillamond, we didn't mean for you to be affected. No one has to know. I wouldn't have… I hadn't considered the position we just put you in." He'd never seen her look this upset before. Her lip was trembling and she looked distraught.
Fiyero gently placed a hand on her shoulder, half expecting to be rebuffed for comforting her, but she didn't say anything. So he began. "When I was a little boy, a special idol of sorts came to my village and foretold of my marriage to Elphaba. It foretold we were to have a child more powerful than the Wizard himself who would rule Oz. Apparently, Elphaba's father had a vision similar to this, which he attributed to the will of the Unnamed God. As you know, he's a preacher and he took that very seriously. He contacted my parents, despite the fact that the Wizard had this law in place."
Elphaba looked up, glancing over at him for a brief moment before she took over. "They agreed that, when we came of age, we should marry. The least suspicious way would be to have my father perform the ceremony in secret when we were both here for other reasons. We could never be seen together. My father would lock us away in a room each weekend so… so we could conceive this child he believes is going to save us all and bring salvation. And it's been that way for months. Last night…" Her voice got weak.
He knew she didn't want to admit to wanting him, to behaving as she had, so he decided to add a little white lie to their story. "Elphaba has kept a calendar. She told me last night that it was our best chance to conceive the child. We didn't know where else we could be alone, and we couldn't reach her father."
She gave him a grateful glance. "We shouldn't have bothered. It was a stupid, risky thing to do and I regret it. So does he. Please, don't report us to Morrible."
Dr. Dillamond stared at them for a few moments. "Miss Elphaba, exactly how many years ago did your father have this vision?"
"Sixteen or so."
"And Master Fiyero, what about your prediction?"
"Something of the same." He didn't understand where this was going, but he was feeling hopeful since they hadn't been yelled at just yet.
"How strange."
"What?"
"That law that the Wizard enacted, did you ever wonder when he enacted it?"
"No, I just… I had always thought it had been that way." Elphaba cocked her head. "What is it?"
"It was almost seventeen years ago."
Fiyero understood. "But why? How would he know?"
"Perhaps, Master Fiyero, the Wizard had a similar experience."
"I can't believe I never considered that." Elphaba muttered. "I just thought… I thought it was some sort of old law that had been in place for hundreds of years and then just got dragged back into limelight when the Wizard decided he wanted to use it and strengthen the penalties for it." After a pause, she said, "So that law was made because of Fiyero and me?"
"It's possible."
"Then he knows it's the two of us?" Fiyero asked.
"I don't know what he saw or what he was told. He might not know. I think if he knew who it was, he would've taken more… drastic measures. As I understand, Master Fiyero, there are multiple powerful tribes in the Vinkus. Perhaps he knew about where you two were from, but not the specifics. And there are several different Eminences in the regions of Munchkinland, as well. That's assuming he even know Munchkinland and the Vinkus were involved."
"Drastic measures? He'd have us killed, is what you're saying."
"He certainly would. And if he knew what the two of you were doing now, he'd have you both executed in an instant."
He squeezed Elphaba's shoulder instinctively. Fiyero would not let harm come to either of them, although he realized Elphaba wouldn't be fond of him stating that. "Dr. Dillamond, you're the only person outside of our parents who knows."
"And I have no intention of reporting it."
It was as though something had been lifted from him. He breathed easier. "I appreciate that, Doctor. I realize you could be risking things, as well, not reporting us."
"I do not wish to have two young people killed simply for being in love."
"We're not in love, Dr. Dillamond. We're married," Elphaba said quickly.
"All the same. I also understand you two didn't choose this, whether it's love or your parents wishes. Neither of those is a choice. You shouldn't be punished for that. However, what you did choose to do was engage in behavior unbecoming in my laboratory when I trusted the both of you, and there will have to be consequences."
She hung her head. "I understand if you no longer wish to have us as lab assistants."
"On the contrary, I need you. And now you need me. I'll keep your secrets if you are careful about repeating what happens in my lab - and I don't mean your marital activities."
He'd always suspected that some of the research they were doing wasn't exactly approved, was possibly even illegal. "We wouldn't dare, Dr. Dillamond."
"Besides, when you two are actually working, you do exemplary work. I don't want to break in two new assistants." The Goat bleated for a moment. "However, you two will no longer be left alone. Miss Elphaba, you will be with me at all times. If I leave anyone in the lab, it will only be Master Fiyero."
"That's fair, Sir." Elphaba looked over at Fiyero. "We apologize, again, for everything."
"Perhaps this isn't the best time to ask, but can I speak with Elphaba alone? Just for a moment?" Fiyero asked, standing up.
The Goat eyed them suspiciously. "Out in the hallway. There's no one else here just now. But I'll be right here."
Fiyero grabbed Elphaba's hand and dragged her out the door. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"It wasn't your fault," she whispered back. "I realized they were missing when I dressed for bed, but I thought maybe you had them… it's beside the point." Her tone softened. "Fiyero, you lied to him about what happened last night."
"So did you."
"But you lied about the reason."
"I thought it might sound better if the reason wasn't so…"
"Lustful?" Her eyes gleamed for a moment. "Thank you. I appreciate that." She brushed her fingers against his. "I suppose I'll see you after the holidays, then?"
He smiled at her. "You will." Fiyero popped his head back into Dr. Dillamond's office. "Sir, I really need to get ready to go back to the Vinkus."
"Then I'll see you next semester, Master Fiyero." Dr. Dillamond waved him off. "If you could leave Miss Elphaba to speak with me for a few minutes, though?"
Elphaba nodded and stepped back into the room, giving him one last smile. "Goodbye, then, Fiyero."
The train back to the Vinkus was uncomfortable, to say the least. Few people traveled from Shiz to the Vinkus, so there were no passenger trains. There was, however, a cargo train. His parents had arranged for it to make a brief stop and to let him on, even arranging for a cart to himself. However, it was still a cargo cart, and there was no bed or furniture to speak of. It was cold some of the time. He spent the majority of his time thinking about what Dr. Dillamond had told them, that is, when he wasn't reliving that moment in the lab with Elphaba.
Nonetheless, he was happy to be home when he got there. His mother gave him a long hug, full of smiles. He thought he detected tears in her eyes, but they were gone when he looked at her again. His father chuckled and patted him on the back, muttering, "It's good to see you, Son," and squeezing his shoulder.
Fiyero greeted them both happily, and sat down in the dining room with them for a late dinner. He waited to see what his parents would ask him about first: school or his wife.
"How have you been getting on?" His father asked.
"I was a bit lost at first, but I'm feeling much better about it. I've made a few friends and gotten some help with my studies. I had nothing but good marks this semester." He reached into his pocket and handed his father his semester report.
"I'm glad to hear that, Fiyero. What about that woman?" His mother didn't waste time.
"You mean my wife? Elphaba?" Fiyero didn't know what to say, despite the fact that he knew this question was coming. "She's doing great at Shiz. She's at the top of our class."
"Son," his father said slowly, "I don't believe that's what she was asking about. I was hoping that maybe I'd be getting a letter about a pregnancy. When that didn't happen, I had hoped maybe you'd come home with some news."
"You of all people know this might take time, Father! We are trying."
"And what about her? We knew nothing of her other than her color when we threw you into this. It does make me the slightest bit uneasy." His mother looked at him with dark eyes.
"She's a good person. We don't exactly have time to talk, with the situation as it is, but we do share a few classes and mutual friends." He wasn't sure why he didn't want to tell his parents about being Dr. Dillamond's lab assistant, but he didn't think it mattered.
"And you're careful to keep hidden? We want you to have your destiny, but we have spent time considering the risks to breaking the law."
"Yes, yes, we are careful to hide. You've reminded me hundreds of times how cautious I must be. And she knows better than to reveal anything." And she hadn't revealed anything intentionally. Neither had he. His parents didn't need to know about the incident with the panties.
"I'm sorry, Son, but we don't want anything to happen to you. You know we almost didn't go through with this out of concern for your safety." His father reminded him. "But in the end, we couldn't ignore the signs."
Fiyero had heard this before. Only now, he speculated if Elphaba's father cared at all that he was risking his daughter's life by shoving her into this as he had. All the man cared about was the child, not his daughter. Frex only took the precautions of keeping them hidden so that they weren't caught before the child could be had. "I know. I understand that. I really do."
"In the end it was your choice, Fiyero."
It had been, in a way. They'd presented him with everything they knew, what had happened when he was young. He wasn't sure he believed in it, but he saw the need in his parents' eyes. He'd known what they wanted him to do. And he wanted them to be proud of him, to be happy. So he'd agreed.
He wondered how Elphaba would feel if she knew this entire thing could've been prevented if he'd only refused.
