AN: A fluffy chapter for you (but no, it's still not over) and I have some great news... see the AN at the bottom!

19.

That, however, was easier said than done. By the time they made it out of the forest, Fiyero's knee buckled at almost every step he took and the wound in Elphaba's side was throbbing – not that she would ever admit to that, but Fiyero knew it nonetheless. They stopped for a while, sitting against a low, stone wall to try and catch their breaths. Fiyero's coat had lost its magical warmth, so they were both shivering as they huddled close, their breath fogging in front of them.

"Do you know where we are?" asked Elphaba, her teeth chattering.

Fiyero shook his head. "I'm not sure," he confessed. "If we are where I think we are, it's still a long hike back to Adurin Iir."

Elphaba gritted her teeth. "Something tells me you're not in any condition for a long hike."

Her husband gave her a pointed look and she relented. "Neither am I, I guess."

He squeezed her hand. "We could find a village nearby," he suggested. "See if we can find shelter there. Someone could contact my parents."

She nodded, unable to come up with a better plan herself. They rose again after a while and they slowly made their way down the road in front of them, Fiyero limping and Elphaba wincing with every step.

They eventually reached a small town and they went to the nearest inn. Luckily, the owner recognised them immediately – probably because of Elphaba's skin, the green girl thought wryly – and he helped them both to a room, promising to find them something to eat and to drink and to get them a physician as soon as possible. Mere hours later, they were full and warm and both Elphaba's side and Fiyero's leg were tightly wrapped up by the local doctor. Word had already been sent out to Adurin Iir and the owner of the inn had assured them that someone would come for them soon.

The doctor had also given Elphaba something for the pain, despite her protests.

"Your Highness," he'd said, "I know how a bullet graze feels and you need to rest, which will never properly work if you're in pain all the time. This will make you feel a bit drowsy, but it will help you sleep."

She'd still protested, but Fiyero had glared at her until she'd given in. By now she was curled up on the bed on her other side, not quite asleep, but not quite awake, either.

Fiyero was right beside her, sitting up against the headboard as he thought about everything that had happened. He wondered if the situation between the Ozian provinces had come to a boiling point with his kidnapping and then his escape. Would there be a civil war? Or were the Emerald City and the Glikkus still conspiring against the Animals, the other provinces silently defying them?

"Yero?" Elphaba murmured next to him, shaking him from his thoughts.

He reached out to stroke her hair. "Yeah?"

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Despite the sleepiness in her voice, she sounded stern, reminding him a little of his mother.

He suppressed a grin. "I'm not tired."

"That's a lie. You hardly slept last night."

He shrugged. "I can't help it, Fae. Too many thoughts."

"Thoughts? You?" She chuckled, a smirk on her face and a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Does it hurt?"

He poked out his tongue at her. "Very funny."

She snuggled closer to him, her head on his chest as her fingers trailed random patterns on his stomach. "What are you thinking about?"

"Everything," he said. "The Animal Banns, my parents... you. What you told me... about your mother."

She grimaced. "Can't you just forget I told you that?"

He shook his head with a smile. "You're not getting away with it so easily, hon. Sorry."

""Hon"?" she echoed suspiciously. "Are you calling me nicknames now?"

"Well," he nuzzled her hair, gently running his hand down her side, "we are married, you know."

"Oh, believe me, I know." She yawned and he kissed her forehead.

"Why don't you go to sleep?"

"I don't want to sleep if you're not sleeping," she said drowsily, but he could tell that she was moments away from drifting off.

He pushed himself down to lie flat on his back, pulling the blankets over himself and his wife. He held her in his arms, stroking her back, until they had both fallen asleep.

He awoke a few hours later, although he could not say why. It must be nearing dinnertime, he guessed. Elphaba was still peacefully asleep beside him and he watched her for a while. He realised she'd saved him. More than that – she had risked her own life for him. She had gotten herself shot for him.

He had always doubted that she could return his feelings, but maybe she did love him just as much as he loved her.

He twirled strands of her hair around his fingers and played with them until he saw her eyes fluttering open, her brow furrowing slightly. "Yero?"

"I'm sorry I woke you," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Instead of doing that, she wound her arms around his neck and leant up to kiss him. He kissed her back, a little surprised when she let him deepen the kiss and hold her tighter. They'd acknowledged their feelings for one another and they'd kissed a few times, but those were mostly soft and relatively brief kisses. It was never like this.

"Fiyero?" she whispered between kisses.

He leant his forehead against hers so that he could look into her eyes. "Yeah?"

"I... I'm really glad you're alright."

He smiled, kissing her again. "Me, too, Fae." He ran his fingers through her long hair. "Shouldn't you go back to sleep?"

She shook her head. "I think the medication wore off – at least partially," she said. "I'm wide awake."

They just lay together for a while, neither of them saying anything. Fiyero could feel the soft rising and falling of her chest against his side and he smelt the scent of her hair, which reminded him of cherry blossom somehow. She appeared lost in thought, but she looked up at him after a while.

"I really am glad you're alright," she said softly. "I mean... I was worried about you."

He grinned at her. "You were?"

"Of course." She sighed. "When you didn't come back... we were all scared," she said. "Your mother worried all the time, Cyara kept on pacing the room and looking out of the window... your father set out very early this morning to look for you, despite his advisors' protests."

"And you?" he asked, drawing her closer.

She barked a soft laugh. "Me? I spent all night thinking about everything that could have happened to you, and then I finally decided to follow your father's example and look for you myself." She shook her head. "When they told me you were kidnapped, I knew we had to do something. That stupid general wanted to give in to your kidnappers' demands and implement the Animal Banns." Her eyes flashed. "Some people just don't understand how important this all is. We can't give in to the Wizard. The moment we do, all Animals are lost."

"I know," he tried to soothe her, but he knew she'd rage on until she got it all off her chest.

"We couldn't even do it for you." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, Yero... but I couldn't sacrifice all those Animal lives for you. Especially not since we weren't sure whether they'd even actually let you go once we implemented the Banns."

"Hey." He caught her chin and turned her face toward him. "You don't have to explain yourself to me," he told her. "I understand. I know how passionate you are about the Animals and not giving in to them was the smart thing to do. I don't blame you for anything." He kissed her gently. "In fact, I think I should thank you. For coming after me, and rescuing me..."

"Well, of course," she said. "Just because we couldn't change the Vinkun laws to save you, didn't mean we weren't going to save you at all."

"See?" he asked. "That's what I love so much about you. You're so passionate about everything you do. Your cause, with the Animals; and even your marriage to me, in a way. I still can't believe you were so much more willing to go through with it once you found out marrying me would help the Animals in a way. When you care about something, you would do anything for that cause."

"Or that person," she added quietly.

He looked at her.

She shifted a little to better look him in the eye. "I'm not just passionate about causes, Fiyero," she said. "Like you said – I'm passionate about everything I love. And I love you."

He pulled her flush against him and kissed her deeply; and before she knew it, they were both mostly undressed.

That was when Fiyero stopped.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't want to push you."

"You're not." She reached up to cup his face and kiss him. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded, allowing him to lift her slip up and over her head. She tried to hide beneath the blankets, but he stopped her.

"You're beautiful," he told her solemnly, kissing her again.

"I'm green," she protested weakly, but he could be as stubborn as she was.

"You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen," he said, meeting her gaze to try and show her how sincere she was being. She shivered at the intensity in his azure blue eyes and he kissed her hard.

Some of you might know that I have been working on getting my first book, Broken Dreams, finished and then published. Well... it's finished. And it's going to be published - soon! I'm doing it through a self-publishing platform called Brave New Books, who help me publish and promote it in exchange for part of the profit. Broken Dreams got an ISBN today and the cover is almost finished as well. Almost there!