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6.

She explored more of the village, keeping most of her face covered by the hood of her cloak as she went. When the snow started falling more heavily, she made her way back to the castle; but by the time she actually reached it, her cloak was heavy and sodden and she was completely soaked underneath. She was shivering as she made her way over to the castle entrance.

"Miss Elphaba." A servant curtseyed, eyeing her worriedly. "Did you get caught in the snow? Wait here – I'll fetch His Highness." Elphaba started to call him back to tell him that wouldn't be necessary, but he was already gone and so she just stayed there, still shivering in her cold, wet clothes.

Fiyero appeared mere minutes later, looking puzzled at the sight of her. "Elphaba? What happened? Did you fall into a pond?" he joked as he came down the stairs towards her.

She shook her head, causing her hood to fall off and her wet hair to whip around her face. "No," she said, her teeth chattering. "It's a blizzard out there."

He laughed. "I would hardly call that a blizzard. You should see the snow storms in February." He took her damp cloak from her and tossed it at a servant before taking her arm and leading her towards another door. "Let's get you warmed up before you catch pneumonia – it wouldn't be the first time someone does around here."

She eyed him warily. "You're taking me to the hot springs."

He sighed. "I can also take you upstairs to your room, get you some towels, and make a fire; but by the time you are warm and dry again, it will be too late. If you want to risk pneumonia, that's fine with me, but trust me when I say that the hot springs are the best way to get you warm quickly."

She bit her lip, but thought of Kevon's words and nodded. She was going to try to trust him. "Okay."

He seemed surprised at her giving in, but he didn't comment on it and instead led her through the door, into a short hallway, and then down a stairs and through the heavy door behind which the springs lay. He helped her out of her soaked dress, leaving her in her thinner, but equally long slip. She blushed a little, even though there was nothing to be seen that he couldn't see when she was fully clothed – and besides, she thought wryly, he had already seen more of her than she would care to admit.

"Go on in," he urged her and she did, carefully stepping into the hot water. She sighed in contentment at the feeling. He was right – this did warm her up quickly. She soaked in the warmth of the water, disappearing underneath it and shaking back her hair.

She looked at him. He was still standing on the side, watching her with a peculiar look on his face.

"Thank you," she said, albeit a bit reluctantly.

He grinned a lopsided grin at her. "You're welcome. Stay here – I'll get you some towels and dry clothes."

She splashed through the water while he was gone, swimming a bit and floating on her back, staring up at the ceiling through the steam rising from the springs. She had half expected him to maul her, or try to drown her. The fact that he seemed to genuinely care about her health surprised her more than it probably should have, and she felt embarrassed. She shouldn't have gone around jumping to conclusions about him. He had been right the previous time – she didn't know him, and aside from his earlier behaviour, she had no reason to mistrust him. He was trying to be nice to her now and all she'd done was snap at him.

He returned not long thereafter with some large, fluffy towels and one of Elphaba's own dresses. He sat down on one of the benches and watched her for a while until she came out of the warm water, her cheeks flushed now from the heat.

"Feeling warmer?" he asked her and she nodded.

"Much. Thank you."

"You already said that." He grinned, but his grin immediately faded when she stepped out of the water entirely and he could see the way her slip clung to her forms. He swallowed. His eyes hadn't been deceiving him last time – she definishly had curves. And maybe it was the fact that he didn't hate her anymore, but he didn't think the green was all that ugly and repulsive after all. It was actually a rather pretty colour – the colour of emeralds.

He quickly grabbed one of the towels for her and held it out so that she could wrap herself up in it. She ordered him to turn around, which he did, as she got rid of the wet slip and put on the dry dress instead, drying herself off quickly and wrapping a towel around her hair. "Okay, you can look again."

"Let's get you upstairs," he said, gathering the wet towels and her wet dress and slip as well, flushing a little when he touched them. "I think that fire will be a good idea now."

She nodded. "Probably. I hope I didn't catch anything," she muttered and he shrugged.

"You won't find out until later," he said. "Vinkun winters are pretty harsh, though; and pneumonia and the cold spread like wildfire in this season."

"Great." She sighed and followed Fiyero out of the basement and up the stairs until they reached one of the sitting rooms. Fiyero started a fire while a servant went to get a blanket on the prince's request, which Elphaba accepted gratefully and draped around herself as she sat by the fire and relished in its warmth.

Fiyero stretched out on the couch, his hands behind his head, and they sat in silence for a while.

Elphaba was the one to break it eventually. "Fiyero?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you…" She faltered, then pressed on. "Do you hate me?"

"No!" he said, sitting up. "What gave you that idea?"

She gave him a sceptical look and he had the decency to look sheepish. "Okay, I see your point, but… you weren't very nice to me, either, you know. Do you hate me?"

"I did," she admitted. "In the beginning."

"Yeah." He nodded slowly. "I guess I did, too… hate you, I mean."

"Because of my skin?"

He shrugged. "Because I thought you were weird."

She actually chuckled. "Well, I guess I am pretty weird."

He grinned at her. "Not necessarily in a bad way, though. I guess I was mostly just mad at the whole world for forcing me into a marriage when I would much rather keep partying and fooling around, and I kind of took that out on you… but it wasn't really your fault, of course. I mean, I don't think you want this any more than I do."

"I wanted to use my education to do something useful," said Elphaba. "I hated being forced into this at first, but I talked to your grandfather a lot and he made me realise that, in a way, I'm getting my wish. I'll have a lot of political power as Queen of the Vinkus; and by marrying you, I help creating a connection between the Vinkus and Munchkinland that is of vital importance in bringing down the Wizard."

Fiyero gaped at her. "Bringing down the Wizard?"

"Because of everything he's done to the Animals," she said.

Much to his embarrassment, he realised he hardly knew anything about all that – let alone about the reason for his parents marrying him off to Elphaba. He'd heard something here and there about Animal banns, but he hadn't paid much attention. He hadn't really cared. "So our marriage is really… what? A business agreement?"

She nodded. "Mostly, yes. It's also partly an attempt of your parents to get you to settle down."

He sighed. "They're probably desperate," he acknowledged. "But they never stopped to ask me what I want. They're nice enough, don't get me wrong, but they never really listen…"

"Hey," a voice cut in. They both looked up to find Cyara walking into the room, plopping down in a chair by the fire. "What are you guys doing?"

"Just talking," said Fiyero.

Cyara raised an eyebrow.

"Elphaba got caught in the snowfall," her brother explained, "so we're trying to warm her up a little."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad out." Cyara scooted closer to the fire. "Dad thinks we might even get snowed in. It's early for blizzards, but still – I wouldn't be surprised if one came along soon."

"Blizzards?" asked Nessarose, who wheeled herself into the room. Galinda was accompanying her and both girls looked a little fearful. "Really?"

"Don't worry," Cyara assured them, "they're not that bad. I just wouldn't advise you to go outside during a Vinkun blizzard."

Nessarose shuddered and Galinda made a face. "No, thank you." She sat down next to Elphaba. "Elphie, Mr Layi and I were thinking –"

"Who?" Fiyero interrupted her and the blonde rolled her eyes at him.

"Your wedding planner," she said in exasperation before turning back to Elphaba. "We were thinking that maybe it would be nice to let Fiyero choose the flowers, since you don't care anything about flowers and that way he gets to feel like he has some input, too –"

"Galinda," Fiyero interjected again, "I could not care less about the flowers at our wedding. In fact, I could not care less about this entire wedding. If it took place in the Emerald Palace with the Wizard there to marry us and a flying pink bubble to take us away on our honeymoon, I wouldn't be impressed in the least; and if it was to be held in a brothel in Quadling Country with swamp rats for witnesses and with Elphaba and I not wearing anything but mud, I wouldn't care one bit." Okay, that was a lie. The thought of Elphaba wearing nothing but mud was… interesting, at least. "Just pick some flowers, Galinda."

Nessarose and Cyara were giggling and Elphaba smirked, but Galinda looked absolutely horrified.

"You were right, Elphie," she said, sniffing and turning her back towards Fiyero. "He is an uncivilised, unmannered idiot and I feel sorry for you that you have to marry him." With that, she left the room, her chin stuck out and her head held high.

Fiyero looked a little bewildered. "Um, okay. Ouch," he said, not entirely joking.

"Don't worry about it," Elphaba said, placing one hand on his arm. "Galinda is just… Galinda. She's very extreme sometimes and all things pretty – clothes, colour schemes, flowers – are sacred to her. She'll come around."

Nessarose was looking at the two curiously, but didn't ask any questions. Cyara was just about to open her mouth when Galinda came back into the room to call, "Nessa, Cyara – we need you for the fitting of the bridesmaid dresses!"

Nessa's face brightened and the two girls left with Galinda, all three of them chattering excitedly. Elphaba just groaned and leant her head against the back of her chair. She was fine with getting married now, but she still hated all the fuss surrounding it.

"Don't worry," Fiyero said, reading her facial expression correctly. "We'll just let Galinda and Mr… um… wedding planner… arrange everything, and all we'll have to do is show up."

She flashed him a wry smile. "I hope you're right."

He winked at her. "I'm always right."

She tried to ignore the warm feeling that spread through her when he did that, that wink in her direction, combined with that lopsided grin of his. It was just her being happy they finally got along. That was all that feeling was. Nothing less, and certainly nothing more.