A/N: Shout outs to my anonymous reviewer and James Birdsong. More on our spy next time. ;)
Chapter 11
Elphaba was enjoying another nice day in the Vinkus out in the garden under the gazebo with the Queen when Fiyero approached them. The Prince had been busy with his father for the first few days of their trip and they hadn't really spent much time together. Still, the green woman wasn't worried. She did not have parents or a country that would be needing her, so she always gave Fiyero space to do what he needed.
"Come to steal away my garden companion?" His mother asked.
"I suppose so. We were trying to have a vacation and somehow it turned into a working vacation," he said.
"That'll happen when you're a Prince. That said, I shall be mortally wounded that you'll be leaving me all to my lonesome," Ayla teased the two of them.
"How do you and the King vacation?" Elphaba asked her.
"Well truth be told; we haven't had one since the Wizard came to power. We didn't feel we could, which is why we were so looking forward to you coming here. I was hoping for rest and relaxation for all of us," the Queen explained.
"That's why Kiamo Ko is kind of falling apart," the green woman wondered.
"A tragedy, in its own right. We will be fixing it up now that Glinda has taken over. It will give people in the area jobs and signify to the country that things are easing into a more prosperous phase. One can never shut out the possibility of trouble, but I think we've had enough coups for the entirety of Oz for quite some time," Ayla figured.
"Let us hope so," Fiyero said before helping Elphaba out of her seat.
"What do you have in mind?" She asked.
"Just a nice walk around the garden before we have to head inside for the evening. The clouds are gathering and I suspect we're in for some weather tonight," he pointed out the darkening sky and clouds off in the direction of Quadling Country.
"They do seem ominous. There was a time that something like that would make me ask questions," Elphaba said.
"Thank goodness that's over. Hopefully, just some fun thunderstorms to watch from the safety of our bedroom," he smiled at her before leading her down a path in between the flowers and bushes.
"Your mother was explaining all the different flora you have in the garden. It was quite fascinating. Reminds me of the times I would sneak out of the mansion and enjoy the blooms that my mother had loved so much. My father would have seen them all left to fallow but the gardener told him that the citizens of Munchkinland would not have wanted to lose something so close to my mother. On one hand, I thought that would have enraged him, she was always more popular than him, but, in that moment, he decided against it for some reason that he never shared," she told him as they walked along.
"It would have been the last physical representation of her. As much as it pains me to say, he never thought of you in that way. Nessa was never going to be able to walk and he never thought she would rule Munchkinland because of it. He was somehow ashamed of both of you, while never admitting that to Nessa. The flowers were something that he didn't have to take care of and something that everyone could see that appeared…" Fiyero paused.
"Normal. You're absolutely right. As much as he doted on Nessa, he never would admit to himself that she was never going to get better," Elphaba nodded. They came to a little wrought iron bench and sat down. The sun was fading behind the clouds and they had a few minutes left before they would need to head inside. The green woman enjoyed how the fading light played off the reds, yellows, oranges, blues, and purples of the flowers around them.
"Fae," he was using her nickname and she turned to him.
"I don't want you to feel like that ever again. You deserve to be loved and to know you're loved," Fiyero took her hands in his.
"Yero, you are the one person in all of the world that has made me feel loved. Do you not think you show it enough? I promise you; you do. It's one of the reasons I love you," Elphaba was confused.
"Well it's been a long road and I think it's time everyone knows how I feel," he smiled. She was about to make a sarcastic comment about how all of their friends know, when he slipped off the bench and onto one knee.
"Yero…" was all that managed to come out.
"Fae, will you marry me?" from his pocket came a small jeweled box and inside that box was a ring made of silver with small rubies in a heart shaped pattern.
"Yero…" while not one for flashy things or jewelry in particular, Elphaba immediately liked the simple yet sophisticated ring. It was not something ostentatious but certainly conveyed the message.
"Fae, I…" he didn't finish his sentence. She was off the bench and pressing her lips against his. When they parted, they were both smiling as he slid the ring on her finger.
"I wasn't sure if you'd…" she cut him off.
"Say 'yes'? Oh Yero," he was a little brainless.
"We never talked about it and I know you're not one for surprises," Fiyero smirked as he helped her to her feet.
"This is the best surprise," Elphaba leaned over and kissed him again.
"As much as I want to savor this moment, I think we're about to get another surprise," he said. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning struck. The two quickly headed back inside to tell his parents the news.
To Be Continued…