AN: Updates on both Always there and Here we stand within ten minutes? Aren't you spoilt :P.
Of course I didn't kill Fiyero.
This chapter is calm, though I can't promise you it is going to stay that way... I love how some of you are all like "I feel sorry for Nessa" and some are like "Heheh, serves her well".
Chapter 18. The Vinkus
"Just for the record," Galinda said as she watched Gazilon and Cyara helping Fiyero up and into the carriage, "I think this is a terrible idea."
Elphaba, who was leaning on a stick next to the blonde, said simply, "I know."
"No, really," Galinda insisted. "I really, honestly think that this is a very, very bad idea."
Elphaba suppressed a sigh. "I know, Glin. So you've told us at least twenty times already."
"What if you die?"
Elphaba shrugged half-heartedly. "Then I suppose you're lucky," she said bitterly.
Galinda glared at her friend. "Just so you know," she informed the green girl, "if it weren't for the fact that you have a concussion, I would totally have whacked you in the head just there."
"Thank Oz for my concussion," said Elphaba, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Galinda sighed. "Elphie, I want you to stop saying such things," she scolded her friend gently. "You are not a curse, this was not your fault, and we all love you. It would kill us if you died – especially Fiyero. We're just worried about you, that's all."
"Well, don't be," said Elphaba as Gazilon and Cyara approached her, ready to help her as well. "Just because we're not supposed to be out of bed, doesn't mean we'll die the moment we travel somewhere, Glin. Just relax."
She allowed Gazilon to gingerly lift her up and set her down in the carriage next to Fiyero, who was already looking half asleep. Cyara spread a blanket over the both of them and then she, Galinda and Gazilon sat down on the bench opposite the couple. The door closed and the carriage started moving.
"We'll probably reach the Vinkus in the morning," said Cyara softly, looking out of the window. "I feel so bad for Mum… she's all alone, knowing that her husband is dead and her son was hurt."
Fiyero frowned slightly. "She knows about that?"
Cyara nodded. "I sent her a letter the day before yesterday," she said. "She knows you're going to be okay – thank Oz. But still. I wish I could be there with her."
Galinda touched the girl's arm comfortingly. "You will be soon," she said. "You'll see her again in the morning."
Cyara smiled faintly at the blonde. "Yeah. I know."
It didn't take very long for Fiyero to fall asleep, even though Elphaba just couldn't relax enough to sleep as well – especially not with Galinda watching her like a hawk all the time.
"What?" she finally snapped, at which the blonde huffed, offended.
"Just making sure you're okay, Elphie," she said indignantly. "And Fiyero. He's not dead, is he?"
Elphaba exhaled audibly. "No," she said through gritted teeth. "He's just resting - you know, the thing you insist we should do all the time? Don't go paranoid on me, missy. And stop staring at me – I can't possibly sleep when you're watching me like that."
Galinda stuck out her tongue. Elphaba just rolled her eyes.
Gazilon decided to distract the blonde girl by asking her some questions about her home and her family, and Galinda started chattering excitedly. Elphaba gave the Glikkun boy a grateful look before closing her eyes and attempting to go to sleep as well.
However, she found herself unable to drift off. She kept on thinking about Fiyero's parents, and Boq, and Nessa, and her own father, and the explosion at Shiz… all the students that had been killed. She shifted, trying to get comfortable; she tried to think of more relaxing things, she even started singing a song in her head, but none of it worked.
She didn't feel like talking, either, though; so she just kept her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep for a long while.
When she finally opened her eyes again, Cyara and Galinda had both drifted off, the latter with her head against Gazilon's shoulder. The green girl smiled when she saw that.
"Hey," Gazilon, who was still awake, whispered.
She looked at him. "Hey."
He took her in, then said, "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"
She shook her head and he sighed. "El, you need to sleep."
"I know." She shrugged. "I just can't."
He gave her a sympathetic smile.
"I was wondering about something," she said quietly, fidgeting with the bandage around her right arm. She winced slightly when she accidentally prodded the skin too forcefully and her fingers started playing with the blanket instead.
"When Nessa wrote to my father," Elphaba continued, eyes trained on her fingers, "the Glikkuns found out somehow. Maybe Father told them, or maybe they intercepted the letter… I don't know. The thing is, if you look at the timing of everything… I can't help but feel that Father got Nessa out of Shiz because he knew what was going to happen, and that's why he wanted her home so soon."
Gazilon nodded thoughtfully, absently stroking Galinda's hair with one hand. "That sounds plausible."
"So he probably made a deal with the Glikkuns in which he could save Nessa – and, most likely, secure the bond between the two provinces," Elphaba continued, thinking out loud. "He knew the attack was coming."
Gazilon saw the thoughtful frown on her face. "I'm sorry, El," he said.
She looked up at him in surprise. "What? What for?"
"That he decided to save Nessa, but not you," Gazilon said softly. "That must hurt."
Elphaba actually laughed at that. "Hurt? Oh, Gazilon – you've seen the way my father treats me, haven't you? Don't forget – we're talking about the man who threatened to come and kill me and Fiyero single-handedly if I made a mistake with you. The man who has hated me from the moment I was born. I'm not surprised, Gazilon. I'm not surprised and I'm not hurt. I wouldn't have expected anything else from him. To be completely honest, I think he has been wanting me dead for years already, but just couldn't think of a way to do it without ending up in jail."
"Elphaba!" Gazilon said, shocked, but she just shrugged.
"It's no big deal," she said. "I'm used to it."
He didn't say anything else because he knew she was right – he had seen the way her father treated her; and if that was the way he always treated her, than he wasn't really surprised, either.
"I'm not even surprised that he let this happen," Elphaba said, staring out of the window. "I had hoped that his being heartless was limited to his treatment of me, but… I don't know. I feel like I should have seen this coming – he doesn't care about anything but himself and Nessarose, and his political position, his power, his money. Apparently he didn't really mind hundreds of people being killed for him to secure his position. I had hoped he would be better than that, but… well, apparently not." She looked at Gazilon, her dark gaze opaque and unreadable. "What I am wondering about, though, is your parents."
"What about them?"
She kept on looking at him. "If Father had the chance to save Nessa," she said, "then your parents must have had the chance to save you, right? I'm not implying anything here," she hastened to assure him. "I mean, maybe they tried and their letter was lost, or maybe they didn't even know about the attack, or –"
"Oh, they knew," Gazilon said matter-of-factly. "I know they knew about the attack. They're probably the ones who ordered it to happen."
Elphaba gaped at him. "Then why…"
He shrugged. "I served my purpose," he said. "Or, well, I didn't, really, but… my parents never loved me, Elphaba. They used me, just like they use everything and everyone else around them. I served a purpose by being with you, and when I screwed that up, they didn't care about me anymore. It's as simple as that."
She was looking at him with wide eyes and he gave her a half-smile.
"Don't look so surprised," he said. "El, my parents are terrorists. And I'm not saying that there are no terrorists who care about their families, but my parents never have. The best criminals are the ones with nothing to lose; either the ones who have lost everything they once had, or the ones that do have things, but don't care about them enough to do anything to keep them safe."
She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
He twirled a strand of Galinda's golden hair around his finger. "Don't be. You know what it's like, after all. Worse, even – at least my parents took good care of me, despite everything. Your father just yelled at you, hit you and called you names."
She remained silent and looked out of the window again.
"I'm worried about Nessa," she said softly after a while. "I don't know how the news of the attack and Boq's death have affected her, and… and I don't know what Father would do… she's his favourite, but I can't help but feel that he no longer is the man he once was. I'm afraid he'll hurt her." She sighed. "And Boq… his family will be devastated," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "We've known each other for such a long time… his mother was always so nice to me, his younger siblings were so adorable… and now their brother, their son, is gone because of me."
Gazilon sighed. "Would you stop that?"
She shook her head. "No matter what you all say, it's my fault," she insisted. "You can't deny that if I hadn't started seeing Fiyero in secret, this would never have happened."
"It also wouldn't have happened if Frex hadn't made that agreement with my parents," Gazilon said tiredly, rubbing his forehead, "or if the Glikkuns hadn't decided to attack the rest of Oz, or if Nessa hadn't written that letter to your father."
"But –"
"And if you're going to blame yourself, then you have to blame me, too," he reminded her. "Because I was there, you know. We were in it together, and I encouraged you to be with Fiyero – I even helped you with all of that. You can't blame yourself without blaming me as well. Are you really going to do that?" He pouted and made googly eyes at her.
She glared at him. "You are impossible."
He flashed her a grin.
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll try to stop."
"Good girl. Now go to sleep."
She opened her eyes to send another glare in his direction. "What am I, a dog?"
"No," Gazilon said cheerfully. "You're my fake girlfriend who has been hurt very badly and should just cuddle up with her real boyfriend to sleep and regain her strength. Although," he mused as he thought about that, "I suppose we're not fake boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, are we? I mean… it's not really of any use anymore."
"Fine," said Elphaba. "Let's part ways as good friends." She dramatically held out her hand for him to shake.
He laughed softly.
"For the record," Elphaba said, her dark brown eyes meeting his. "I know this sucked, and it was fake and it was awful at times, but… but if I had to have a fake boyfriend, anyway… I'm glad it was you."
He smiled, took her hand and kissed it. "I'm glad it was you, too." He squeezed her hand. "Friends?"
"Sure," she agreed easily.
She fell asleep some time later, curled up against Fiyero. As if on cue, the Vinkun prince then opened his eyes.
Gazilon eyed him in amusement. "You weren't asleep, either, were you?"
Fiyero gave him a lopsided half-grin. "Not really," he admitted. "I woke up while you were talking, but I didn't want to interrupt." He sighed and ran his fingers through Elphaba's hair softly. "I hate that she still blames herself," he said quietly. "And to hear about the way her father treated her…"
"She's getting better," Gazilon assured the other boy. "She'll be fine."
"Could you keep it down?" Cyara muttered. "Some people here are trying to get some rest."
Fiyero chuckled. "Sorry, sis."
Cyara opened one eye to glare at him. "You haven't changed one bit, have you?"
He quirked one eyebrow.
"Behold," Cyara said sleepily, closing her eyes again. "The great and scandalacious Fiyero Tiggular, the image of perfection. Look at those bruised ribs – aren't they just the prettiest sight you've ever seen? Look at that sexy bandage around his head…"
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Cyara," Galinda said as she opened her eyes as well to look at the Vinkun princess. "He's changed an awful lot since he first came to Shiz."
Cyara smiled, opened her eyes and sat up a little. "I know," she said. "And he and Elphaba are very cute to watch together. I just love to tease him, that's all."
Fiyero scowled at his sister.
"How much longer?" Galinda tried to distract them. It worked.
"Couple more hours," Fiyero said, looking out of the window.
"Oh." Galinda yawned. "In that case, I'm going back to sleep." She snuggled into Gazilon's side and fell asleep again within clock-ticks.
Gazilon stared down at the blonde wide-eyed, and Fiyero and Cyara were both grinning.
"Ooh, is that love I smell in the air?" Cyara joked, and Fiyero laughed.
"I think all Gazilon is smelling right now is the scent of roses in Galinda's hair," he said to his sister in a stage whisper.
Cyara giggled. "Just kiss the girl already, Gazilon. I bet she likes you, too."
Gazilon's face was flushed, but didn't deny it. Instead, he said in wonder, "You think?"
"I know," Fiyero assured the other boy.
Gazilon grinned a bit sheepishly. "Well… I don't think now is really the time for that," he said, looking down at Galinda again. "But who knows what'll happen?"
Cyara and Gazilon made some small talk together, and Fiyero looked down at the sleeping green girl curled up against him. She was murmuring something in her sleep and he ran his fingers through her long, silky hair. "Shh," he whispered, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm right here, Fae. You're okay."
His fingers felt the bandage around her broken arm and he looked around the carriage, only now realising how they must look if someone saw them. The cut in Gazilon's forehead was still visible and though it wasn't noticeable when he was wearing trousers, there was a bandage around a wound on his upper leg as well. Fiyero himself was still wearing a bandage around his head, as well as one around his torso to support his bruised ribs; and Elphaba still had a nasty-looking wound on her temple, as well as bandages around her broken arm and her injured ankle. They looked like they had lived through a war, which, Fiyero thought as he mentally evaluated the happenings from the past few days, was actually the case, in a way. It had certainly felt like a war, that was for sure.
He stayed awake until they reached the castle of Kiamo Ko, around sunrise. By then, the others had woken up as well and they watched silently as the huge building came into view.