A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer! Wedding Bells indeed but also trouble. ;) Glad you liked it.
Chapter 12
The next few days in the Vinkus were blissful. While Elphaba and Fiyero had loved each other for a long time, something about securing their future together just felt different. The King and Queen were thrilled but did not press them on their future plans. Technically, a royal wedding would be required but then where the two would spend their time was still up in the air.
Sergeant Schultz had been very excited at the news. Elphaba had had to make him promise to keep it to himself until the official announcement would be made. He had dutifully agreed and kept quiet. First, before anyone else, Fiyero and Elphaba sent a letter to be decoded to Glinda.
"Why haven't we heard back yet?" Elphaba asked three days after their engagement. The letter had been out of their possession for two days and it shouldn't have taken so long to get a response back.
"Could be busy, could be Glinda is freaking out, could be any number of things," Fiyero tried to settle her concerns, but he knew they were valid ones. He was even concerned, despite not trying to show it.
"Is there a way we could check in that wouldn't mean sending another letter?" Sergeant Schultz wondered. He had joined them for dinner and brought his date, Corporal Damla Kaplan.
"I don't mean to speak out of turn, but you are the most powerful witch in all of Oz. There is no other way?" The Corporal had been quiet all night, not wanting to ruin the night by saying something wrong. She was dining with the Prince of her people, his soon to be Princess, and, of course, the young man that she was falling in love with. It was a lot of pressure.
"You're not speaking out of turn. I appreciate the question. There is another way, but it's not direct communication. I can use a crystal ball to see what Glinda is up to, but I cannot speak to her through it," Elphaba admitted.
"Oh. Can you hear what she's saying? I'm sorry, I don't know much about magic," Damla apologized.
"The sound is usually garbled through the glass. It actually turns into a good lesson on how to read people's expressions and body language. What's even more ironic is that Glinda can understand the garbles better than I can," the green woman smirked slightly. Damla didn't know what she meant but Fiyero and the Sergeant did.
"Well, it would be better than nothing," Fiyero shrugged.
"I don't disagree. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone else can understand things," she smiled at him.
"Miss Elphaba, Master Fiyero, it would be an honor to try and help you. I've never seen something like this," Timothy was excited.
"Absolutely. It would be an honor," Damla was smiling as well.
"After we finish dinner then. We should set up in the library. We'll need the quiet," Elphaba smiled. They went on about their meal and enjoyed more conversation. Damla began to open up a bit and both the Prince and future Princess were glad to see it.
About thirty minutes later, the group left the dining room. Elphaba diverted to her room and grabbed the crystal ball, while the others got setup in the library. She had this nagging feeling that something was wrong and she hoped her brain would quiet those thoughts – along with the crystal ball.
"Ok are we set?" The green woman asked when she entered the library about five minutes later.
"Yes," Fiyero gave her a smile and she took a seat at the table that they had cleared of spell books. They all took a seat and Elphaba chanted a spell. The crystal ball lit up and an image slowly appeared.
"Oh, that's not good," the green woman frowned.
"Is that the infirmary?" Fiyero asked looking at the image that had been conjured up.
"Even if it wasn't, that is most definitely Doctor Talib," Elphaba pointed out.
"We need to head back to the Emerald City. Timothy, please get the carriages and horses prepped. I am sorry to cut our visit short," the Prince found.
"Yes, right away Captain," Sergeant Schultz left the room.
"What can I do?" Damla asked.
"Please find my parents," Fiyero said. The young solider nodded and was out the door.
"What could have happened?" Elphaba looked at him.
"I don't know and that is what worries me. I don't see how anyone would have gotten too close to poison her, unless she was out and about in the Emerald City," he shrugged before moving to her. Pulling her close, Fiyero worried that this was just the start of something big.
To Be Continued…