They left their room after breakfast, Fiyero leading the way with a hand on her back. There was a noise behind them, and Elphaba looked behind her to see two maids entering their room.

The green girl stopped walking and cleared her throat loudly.

Fiyero raised his brows, and she pointed to the door that was left open.

"It's just the maids. They come in every morning to clean up the place."

"That's an invasion of privacy."

"That's maintenance. They clean all the rooms every day. We don't live in a pigsty."

"I don't mean that, but don't they knock before they enter? What if –" She imagined the maids coming in when she was half-naked, Fiyero's mouth on her skin, his hand ...

The grin on his face told her he knew what she was thinking about.

"I'll let them know to knock next time."

"You mean they have never knocked before entering? What if you're changing or bathing?"

The grin widened as Fiyero took a step closer. He cupped her cheek, leaning so close their lips were almost touching.

"I'll remind them to knock next time. Wouldn't want them to interrupt us when we're busy, my dear wife." He had lowered his voice, and the bass in his voice sent a shiver through her body. Fiyero leaned in and kissed her, his tongue probing for entry. Elphaba gasped at the sensation, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue as he pulled her flush against him. She had never been kissed before, but she had no doubt he was a good kisser. The heat coursed through her body and her toes curled.

Someone giggled, and Elphaba pushed him away and turned to see that one of the maids had come out of the room, the stained bedsheet in her arms. The other maid came out shortly, carrying the tray with their finished breakfast. The maids bowed, still giggling, and left in the opposite direction.

"So you were acting for their benefit," she said when the maids were out of sight, her heart still racing from his kiss. She shoved her hands into her pockets before they could reach out and pull him back to her.

He raised his brows again. "Is that what you think?"

She wanted his lips on hers again, she wanted to feel his tongue exploring her mouth again, even if he was just acting. "Of course. What else could it be?" Elphaba straightened her back and marched ahead.

From the brief conversation they had the night before, Elphaba expected his mother to be stern and no-nonsense, maybe a domineering matriarch who could send a grown man to his knees with a single glance.

Imagine her surprise when they were ushered into the room and a diminutive woman with her hair piled high came forward and hugged her before engulfing her hands with hers.

"Did you have a good night, dear?" She asked and Elphaba recognised the voice – she was the one who was with her during the wedding. The one who had sounded so relieved when Elphaba had turned up on time.

And Fiyero thought that she'd kill him for dirtying the floor?

His mother – she still could not think of her as her mother-in-law, or her mother – chatted. She talked about the wedding preparations and apologised for not seeking Elphaba's opinions on the different matters. It was simply impossible to plan a wedding via mail, she explained. There were too many matters that required timely intervention. She talked about their traditions - the silent sisters who represented the Gods of peace and marital bliss, and the belief that the wedding must start on time based on the stars of the married couple or disaster would befall on the wedded couple.

They must have gotten the timing wrong, for the marriage had turned out so bad Fiyero had not met his real bride yet.

Or was Nessa really his intended bride? The thought gnawed at her and she turned subconsciously to Fiyero, only to find him looking at her. She blushed and turned away, furious that she had such a reaction simply because he was looking at her. She bit her lower lip, trying to get rid of the feeling of his lips on her.

Fione Tiggular was still rattling on and Elphaba caught something about how the Vinkun punishments might seem harsh to the outside world. Something about exile and being cut off from the tribe.

"So under what circumstances will someone be exiled?"

"We don't take exile easily. There is always a trial when someone commits a crime – and the penalty will be decided by a panel of judges."

"But isn't there some guideline? Some crimes that will usually end with an exile?"

Fiyero's mother nodded.

"So what kind of crimes are those?"

"My dear wife," Fiyero's hand went to the back of her neck and caressed her neck as he kissed her on her temple. "So eager to learn about our culture. But what's the rush? You'll learn all about this in the future."

His mother nodded again. "We have engaged one of Fiyero's ex-teachers to teach you about Vinkun history and some statesmanship. He's teaching in Gillikin, but he'll come over during the school holidays for your lessons."

"So what are your plans for today?" Fiyero's mother changed the topic.

Elphaba bit her lip. Her plan today was the same as yesterday's – to get out of Vinkus and go back to Munchkinland. This exile sounded like a good idea. With it, there was no way Father could make her come back even if she was caught.

"We haven't planned anything," Fiyero spoke on their behalf. "I thought that we should just rest today. After all, we had a busy day yesterday."

His mother nodded. "The guests who have stayed overnight will be leaving today but I will handle that. But Yero. you should show her around the castle. This is her first time here and she should know her around. It'll be dreadful if she loses her way when she is alone."

"That's a good idea, Mama."

She turned to Elphaba again. "My dear, we have tailor-made some dresses for you earlier. But those are based on whatever little information your father gave us. I don't even know what your favourite colour is. Now that you're here, I'm sure that you'll want to have some clothes that fit you and to your taste. The seamstress will be coming tomorrow afternoon for a fitting. Please do not hesitate to let her know what you want. She is the best seamstress in Vinkus and can make any clothes that you want."

But Elphaba's mind was not on pretty dresses. "My father," She leaned forward and asked. "What did he say about me? How did he describe me?" Did he hide her verdigris from them?

Fione chuckled and she patted Elphaba's hand. "My dear, don't you worry. Every man sees his daughter as a princess, and your father is no exception. He did say that you have a minor skin condition, though I'm pleasantly surprised when I saw you the first time. You have nothing to worry about He's like other fathers though. He has no idea that we'll need your height and measurements to make dressed that fit. Such details are beyond most men. He just said that you're taller than most girls your age and thin. It's alright if you don't like the clothes that we have made for you, you can always make more."

"No, I don't mean that. I mean, thank you very much for making me feel welcome. I didn't pack enough and the dresses came in handy." She touched the cotton fabric. "I like this." She meant it.

Fiyero's mother smiled. "I'm so glad to hear that, my dear. I never have a daughter, and I am really glad that you're now a member of the family. Please know that you can come to me for anything, anytime." She clasped her green hands in hers.

"Can I ask something – why did you choose me as Fiyero's wife?"

"Elphaba," Fiyero called her name warningly, but she pretended not to hear him.

His mother chuckled. "Why not? Munchkinland and Vinkus have been trading partners for years, in business and agriculture and everything else. We also signed many treaties between us. Fiyero is of marriageable age, and his father and I thought that it will be a good idea for him to marry the daughters of one of the eminences. In fact, Fiyero's grandmother is not a Vinkun either - she's from Gillikin. Your father may not be Eminent, but your grandfather is someone whom we greatly respect and admire. It is our honour to bring one of his granddaughters into our family. We only knew that your father has two daughters, but we knew nothing about both of you, if you are engaged or married. We were so delighted when he wrote back almost immediately and said that you will be joining our family."

Fiyero could almost see the dark clouds hovering above Elphaba's head as she walked ahead of him, and he wished that Boq had told him more about this girl that he was strangely attracted to. He knew that Elphaba was not happy with his mother's response; he had brought her to different places in the castle after that and introduced her to a few people, but she had hardly said more than a few words and barely smiled. But he had no idea why she was angry.

It was then that he remembered something.

"Elphaba." He grabbed her arm and she spun around.

"What?" she spoke through clenched teeth.

"About the exile, can you don't talk about it anymore?"

"Why? This is Vinkun's law, set by your forefathers, so be proud of it. If you find it too brutal, abolish it when you are king! You don't get to tell me what I should or should not say." She lashed out at him.

Fiyero shook his head. "No, it's not that. Elphaba, listened to me. Yes, it is an archaic law, and it is only sentenced under extreme circumstances – the instigators of an uprising for example."

She spat out a "So?"

"The same sentence is also passed down when someone tries to hurt any member of the royal family."

"Like me? That's good news. Let's go and tell your mother that I knifed you last night." She raised her voice, and Fiyero had no choice but to push her against the wall and clamp his hand over her mouth.

"Can you be any louder?" He looked at her bright eyes. "Look. Listen. The one who is sentenced will be sent to the Thousand Year Grassland alone with just the clothes on him - no food, no water and no weapon, nothing to protect him from the animals in the wild. That person will be considered lucky if he died from hunger, or from the heat or the cold. Most likely the lone traveller will be attacked by predators, and some of these predators do not kill their prey outright. They usually play with their food, or they will start eating while the prey is still alive. It's a guaranteed, painful death."

Elphaba blanched.

"I know you will say that you are not afraid of death." She nodded, and he slowly moved his hand away. "But think of your sister. Think of how sad she will be if something like this happens to you. Think of your father – "

"He doesn't care."

"How can you say so? Every parent loves their children – "

She shook her head. "I've always been an eyesore to him. Everything I do makes him angry. Everything I do is wrong. He could not abandon me when I was young because Mother loved me, and he could not abandon me after Mother died because he will be found out easily. He hates me." Maybe she was missing home, but she remembered the spiteful words that he said, words that she believed to be true until she grew older and told herself to ignore them.

"Elphaba, you're shaking."

"When I was young, he told me that he didn't want me. He said that I'm the reason why Mother died, why Nessa is born without arms." Her eyes were burning, and she tried to stop the shaking but couldn't. She could not stop the tears. Could not stop the words from coming out either.

"He must have thought that your letter of proposal is the Unnamed God's answer to his problem. He told me that you have asked for Nessa's hand in marriage."

"I didn't…"

She rubbed her eyes with her palm. "I know now. He lied. He must have known that I would never agree to a marriage proposal, but he also knew that I will never let Nessa suffer. He knew that I would offer to take her place." He might not like his eldest daughter, but he certainly knew her well. Elphaba shivered, and her legs gave way without warning, but Fiyero was there and he caught her in time.

"Hush," he said softly as he pulled the hair that was sticking to her wet face and tucked it behind her ears. Elphaba hiccupped and buried her face in his chest. "Everything's alright now."

He stroked her hair until she stopped shaking, and then lifted her into his arms and draped her arm around his neck.

He carried her back to their room and Elphaba curled into a ball the moment he lowered her onto the bed.

He thought of getting her some water, but she sniffed again and he changed his mind. Instead, he took off his shoes and climbed into the bed, pulling her into his arms. Her hand went to his chest, and he stroked her hair gently until she stopped crying.

"Everything will be alright from now on," he promised.