She lay on the bed, her hands resting on her abdomen, holding the pair of scissors.
She was so glad when Frex had agreed to her proposal to let her take the place of Nessarose in this political marriage. And now she knew that it was his plan all along. He had planned all of this, and she had reacted exactly the way he expected.
She looked around the room. Fiyero was nowhere to be seen. And she remembered that he had left the room earlier, something about going for a walk. She felt like throwing something at Fiyero. She felt like throwing something at Frex. She fingered the sharp blade, entertaining evil thoughts.
She sat up. She could not stay in this room anymore.
She left the room. She could not remember the route she had taken earlier to the room, but down was always a good option, and she took the first flight of stairs that she saw. When she exited the castle, the first thing she saw was the stable.
It was not difficult to slip into the place. Most of the horses were awake, and they looked at her with curious eyes. She entered a stall at random and led the horse out of its stall. There was no one around, and she saddled up the horse before leading it out of the stable. Still, there was no one around to stop her. Elphaba led the horse out to the open. She had no idea what she should do next. A part of her wanted to go back to Munchkinland, to confront Frex. But Munchkinland was so far away, and she had no experience in riding a horse for days and not much experience in taking care of a horse beyond the basic feeding and brushing. But something inside her did not want to stay there or to go back to the castle. She wanted to remain in the open. She mounted the horse, and the animal trotted at an easy pace into the dark.
She did not know how long they travelled, but after a while, she started to hum whatever that came to her mind. The horse seemed to like her singing, and it adjusted its speed according to the tempo of her song.
"Good horse," she said, scratching it on its side. She had no idea if that was the wrong thing to say, or if a hare had dashed across the field without her knowing, but suddenly the horse neighed and bolted without any warning. It flew across the plains with increasing speed. The reins slipped out of her hands, and Elphaba could only cling onto its neck for her dear life. She thought she heard something behind her, but she could not look back. The speed caused her to bounce on the saddle, and she found herself slipping to one side somehow and she knew that she would fall off the horse sooner or later.
The impact, when she hit the soft ground, was enough to knock the air out of her. As she lay there, she could hear the horse galloping further and further away, leaving her behind. She turned and looked at the horse until it was just a speck in the distance. She groaned at the thought of making her way back to the castle. Or maybe she had ridden so far away that it would be easier for her to walk to Munchkinland than back to Kiamo Ko.
She laughed at the idea.
And then someone knelt next to her, and she turned to the other side to see who it was.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"I followed you." Her new husband smiled at her.
"You followed me. So did you just happily follow me and watched when that horse went spooked and tossed me off?"
He chuckled. "Maybe."
Fiyero lifted her arm and started to check for any injuries, asking her periodically if there was any pain or if she lost any feeling in her limbs.
"I think I might have broken a bone or two," she told him.
"I don't think so."
"Aren't you going to go after the horse before it goes all the way to Munchkinland?"
"I don't need to. That's the most temperamental horse in the whole stable, but there's nothing it loves more than a good breakfast. It will make its way back before dawn."
"Just my luck." She rolled her eyes as Fiyero put a hand under the back of her neck. "It must be yours then."
"Why? Because it loves breakfast?"
"Because it's temperamental."
"You don't know me yet."
"I don't want to know you."
"It belongs to my father."
He heaved her to a standing position.
"Can you walk? Or should I carry you?"
She lifted a hand. "I can walk." She'd walk even if she had broken all the bones in her body. But there was pain every step she took.
Fiyero chuckled again. She glared at him.
"That's the wrong direction. I didn't mean for you to walk all the way to Kiamo Ko. Just walk around to see if there is any other pain before you take my horse home."
"Now why didn't you say so earlier?"
He let her ride in front, her back facing the direction that they were going. He let the horse slowed to a walk to minimise the bouncing. The movements of the horse relaxed her mind. She had said that she did not want to know him, but even in the past few hours, she realised that she had known him a bit, even if what she had known so far contradict one another – he had let her fall off the horse, but he was responsible enough to follow her. She remembered what he had said earlier, that his mother would kill him if his blood stained the floor and she laughed.
"Something funny?"
"Nothing."
She turned to the side and looked at the bandage on his arm. The pain in her body had subsided slightly. He had wrapped an arm around her lightly. She remembered that he had asked earlier this evening if she was disappointed in him. She looked up, at his strong jaw and dark skin and wavy hair.
"So you're not hideous."
"What?" He looked at her.
"I always thought that the reason why you never went to Munchkinland personally to woo Nessa was because you are so hideous looking you'll scare your potential bride away."
He laughed again. "So should I be flattered that you don't find me hideous?"
"Just because you are not ugly outside does not mean that you are not ugly inside."
"You're determined to find flaws."
"And it does not mean that you deserve Nessa."
He let out a sigh. "It was never my parents' intention for me to marry your sister."
She felt her eyes getting heavier with every step the horse took. She let her eyes closed for a few seconds and then opened them again.
"How far do we have to go?" she asked.
"We're back." She turned her head, wincing at the pain, but realise that he was right. They were right in front of the stable.
"That's fast."
"Not really. You fell asleep."
"I didn't!"
"You did." It was only then that she realised she was snugged in his arms, her arms wrapped around his waist, his warmth all around her. She leaned away, blushing.
"Your Highness," a stableboy rushed up to them. "I'm so sorry. We didn't know that she – "
Fiyero raised a hand to stop the apology before he got off the horse and helped Elphaba down.
"You don't have to tell my parents anything that happened tonight," he instructed. The stableboy flushed with relief.
They went into the quiet castle, and Fiyero led Elphaba on another route back to their room. As they crossed a corridor, she heard a sound. She stopped.
"What is it?" She lifted a finger to her lips. And then she heard it again.
It was a low moan.
"Did you hear that? Someone is injured," she whispered.
"You?" He whispered back.
"No." In the name of the Unnamed God, he was stupid! And then she heard it again. This time, it was louder, longer.
"Did you hear that? Someone is in pain. That way." He grabbed her arm.
"No."
"What do you mean by no? Is it a prisoner? Is someone torturing a prisoner?"
"No. We don't have a cell here." He was almost laughing now. "I recognised that voice. She's definitely not injured."
"How did you know?"
"Because I know who she is. Look. Let's go back before someone spots you looking like you have been wrestling in the mud. And when you are having a warm shower, I'll go and check on her to make sure that she is alright. Alright?"
She frowned at him. "How would I know that you're not lying?"
"Why would I lie to you? This is my father's castle. You're miles away from home, from anyone who will protect you. In a way, you are at our mercy."
She snorted at his reply and ran on ahead when she finally realised that they were just a few doors away from their room.
Back in the room, Elphaba inspected herself in the mirror. She had not realised it earlier, but there was dirt and mud on the back of the dress and the back of her hair. She opened her luggage. She had only brought a few clothes with her, and it seemed that she was running through them faster than expected.
"There's a connecting door in the bathroom to the walk in wardrobe. And there are some clothes inside that we have prepared for you. And there's hot water in the bathroom."
Elphaba wanted to make some remark, but she bit her tongue. She hated it when the rare Gillikinese guests that her father had invited to his mansion expressed their surprise at the modern amenities that the Governor had in his house, and she was not going to make the same mistake here.
"Thank you," she said instead.
She went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
As the water filled the tub, she tried to finger comb the dirt out of her hair and then she tried to take off her dress. But no matter how she tried, she could not unhook the dress.
"Excuse me?" she called out. She wanted for a while, but there was no reply. She opened the bathroom door and let out a yelp when he appeared immediately behind it.
"I… I need some help. The hooks." She turned around. "I think the metal is twisted."
He gestured for her to go back into the bathroom, and she turned her back to him again when they were inside. She sucked in her breath when his fingers brushed against her skin.
"Yes, you're right. The metal's just a bit twisted, most probably when you fell and hit the ground. But I don't think we have to cut the dress to get you out." She laughed, remembering her conversation with Nanny and Nessa.
"Anything funny?"
"No." But she could not help smiling at the memory.
He spoke again a few seconds later. "It's done now." Before she could say anything, his hands went down the column, undoing the buttons on the dress, and he hissed when he saw the bruises forming on her back.
"Is it bad?"
"Not if you like the colour purple."
She was exhausted, she needed sleep and she was aching all over. But there was something in his voice and she felt the laughter bubbled out of her. And even when she was laughing, she could feel his breath warm on her neck as he exhaled.
Her laughter subsided, and there was an awkward silence in the air.
"I'll leave you to clean up. There's some ointment that you can use later." And he left the bathroom.
She found a dress buttoned at the back from one of the drawers when she was done, and the ointment was on the bed by the time she came out.
Fiyero was sitting at the desk, reading something.
She sat so that her back was away from him and unbuttoned the dress before she started to apply the ointment. But her hand could only reach so far. She looked at Fiyero who was still reading whatever he was reading.
She cleared her throat. He flipped to the next page.
She did it again. He continued reading.
"Excuse me? Hello?" He finally looked up. She waved the tiny bottle at him.
"I can't reach my back."
"And?"
"Can you help?"
His eyes went to the pair of scissors that was on the bedside table. "Is it a trick? Will my life be in danger?"
"Of course not!" she fumed. "I swear that I won't stab you again. Not tonight."
He laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening, and he joined her on the bed.
Taking over the ointment, he applied a thin layer on her back as she clutched the front of her dress to her chest. The cooling effect of the cream and the gentle strokes of his warm fingers from her shoulder to her waist made her relax, and very soon she found that she did not even notice the mild ache from the bruises. He twisted her hair together and brought it to her front, brushing against her breast as he did so, and she felt a sizzle. His hand went to her back again and moved over the same area again, and she leaned subconsciously into his palm. And she was kind of disappointed when he suddenly stopped.
"Is that it?" she asked.
"Why? Is there anywhere that I have missed out?"
"I don't know," she replied hesitantly. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" he asked, but his hand went under the opening at the back, stroking the skin there. Elphaba held her breath.
"I don't know," she repeated after a while. His hand moved up until he brushed the side of her breast. His fingers caressed her skin slowly, back and forth, and her skin started tingling.
"Is it there?" he asked as he increased his pressure meaningfully. He brushed his lips against her neck.
Something, something shot up and down her body, and she had no idea what that feeling was. But she wanted it. More.
She licked her lips and nodded.
He kissed her on her neck. His other hand went to the front of her neck, stroking the skin there, and then slid down to her collarbone, strumming her like a string instrument. Elphaba closed her eyes as her head fell back. His hand moved away from her breast to her consternation, but it was only for a moment; his hand went to the hand that was holding onto the dress, releasing her fingers from the fabric and it fell to her waist. His fingers curled around her breast, cupping it gently. His thumb drew a circle around her nipple, and she felt her breath quickened as he rolled it between his thumb and finger until it hardened.
Nanny had never told her how warm a man's hand could be against her skin.
His hand slid down to her stomach, hot against her abdomen before going up again. He squeezed her breast as he sucked on her neck, and she gasped when he pinched her slightly. His other hand went to her other breast, caressing her skin. She felt something moist between her legs, and she squeezed her thighs together.
His mouth moved to her ear, biting on her ear lobe as he kneaded her breasts, and Elphaba made a tiny sound with each breath. She leaned forward, crushing her breasts into his hands, and he pinched her nipples in quick succession.
She moaned softly and she squeezed her thighs tighter. She did not want this to end.
Fiyero chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back, and she pulled away
when his chest pressed on the bruises on her back.
"That hurts." "I'm sorry." They said at the same time.
What was she doing? One moment she was threatening to hurt him, and the other moment she was letting him do things to her that she knew she shouldn't. And wanting it. She looked away and pulled up the dress so that she was all covered up again, her face flushing so much she swore it must be the same colour as the bruises on her back.
"It's almost dawn," she said as she looked out of the window.
Fiyero nodded.
"I suppose you'll take the couch?" She felt the moist between her legs again at the idea of him sharing the same bed as her and she fidgeted.
"Sure," he said. A part of her was disappointed.
"Thank you."
She ostentatiously adjusted the scissors on the table, picking it up and putting it down with a loud clunk (and making sure that he saw it) before she lay down on the bed on her front, away from the bloodstain. Fiyero covered her with the quilt.
"Good night, Elphaba," he said as he lay down on the couch and closed his eyes.
She could play civilised if he could.
"Good night, Fiyero," she said.
She woke up the next morning when the sun was shining in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, but she could still see the light behind her eyelids. She groaned and tried to drape an arm over her eyes but was unsuccessful. She tried to turn away from the window but was unable to turn. She opened her eyes. Her limbs were all spread out. There was a colourful handkerchief around each of her wrists. There was a colourful scarf around each of her ankles. She tugged at each one, and it was only then that she noticed where the other end of the fabric was. She was tied to the four corners of the bed. She tugged again, but the knots remained secure.
"Fiyero Tiggular!"