A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer! Glad you like the title. More on our witch soon. ;)

Chapter 2

"Did she ever come out?" "Not yet." Elphaba bolted upright in the carriage; the words ringing in her ears. She and Fiyero were on their way back to the Emerald City, the day after the wedding of Timothy and Damla.

"Whoa! You ok?" Fiyero asked his wife to be. She managed to scare him with her move and he watched her shake her head.

"That story that Timothy told us… I can't seem to get the last phrase out of my head," she admitted.

"Well, we'll have plenty of other things to think about when we meet up with Glinda in a few hours," it wasn't exactly reassuring but Elphaba understood what he meant. They'd been gone for a week and there was probably a lot that they needed to get working on. She was actually eager to see Boq as Queen Ayla had found something that might help in the reversal of the poor Tin Man's condition.

"We can't let this magical person slip through the cracks," Elphaba reminded him.

"Oh, I don't intend to, but Glinda is getting married in two weeks. She was freaking out before we left, I can't imagine what she's been doing to poor Bayram while we were gone," Fiyero said.

"He knew what he was getting himself into. Besides, everyone at the Palace has been helping her. He's not alone and neither is she," she told him.

"True but you're her best friend and maid of honor. You left her to her own devices for a whole week," he chuckled. Elphaba shook her head and laughed a little.

"Fair enough," she said.

"I'm going to miss our little Sergeant," Fiyero changed topics.

"I am as well. He's grown up though. We have to let him make his own decisions," Elphaba was teasing. They never once told Schultz what to do unless it was a direct order due to circumstances.

"My father is going to offer him a commission in the Vinkun Army. While not something usually offered to a non-Vinkun, my father is willing to make an exception, especially since that would put him close to me when we head back for our wedding," he told her.

"Your parents have been parents to so many who are not related to them. I still have a hard time believing that they like me," Elphaba admitted.

"They love you, who you kidding?" He chuckled and moved from his seat across from her to next to her. He leaned over and kissed her.

"Mmmm… yes well not as much as I love you," she said when they parted.

"We have to wait a year before we tie the knot. Glinda will never forgive us if we upstage her," Fiyero teased. Elphaba laughed.

"We mustn't do that. Your mother wanted ideas for what dress I wanted to wear already. I promised her to take a look at the book she gave me. Some of the designs are amazing but my body is not exactly what you call easy to fit," she said. True her skin color provided issues with colors but like every woman, not every style fit her body type. Suddenly, they found themselves thrust out of their seat as the carriage came to a screeching halt.

"What the…?" Fiyero was thankful that he'd grabbed Elphaba before they landed on the seat across from them.

"I have no idea," Elphaba said. Normally Corporal Roth would warn them before slamming on the brakes. Fiyero grabbed his handy rifle and exited the carriage. Whether he liked it or not, Elphaba was right behind him.

"Corporal!" Fiyero barked. The driver's seat of the carriage was empty and that made them both concerned.

"Corporal Roth! Where are you?" Elphaba called out.

"Over here! I need some help!" The answer came from the woods on the other side of the carriage. The two quickly hurried to him and they discovered why he'd stopped so suddenly.

"Can you help her?" Roth asked. Elphaba knelt down next to the body of a young woman. She was only wearing undergarments and even though it had been a warm summer, the last few days had been cool and it had rained late last night.

"She's gone. There's nothing I can do," the green woman heaved a sigh. It did not look like she suffered any injuries, but she could have been bitten by a poisonous snake or spider. Still, something wasn't right.

"How long do you think she's been dead? How'd she get out here with no shoes? The nearest town is like forty minutes away by foot," Fiyero was immediately concerned that they were no longer alone.

"Her feet aren't dirty," Corporal Roth announced.

"Oh, that's not good," Elphaba shook her head. The girl had not walked out into the woods and managed to keep her feet clean.

"If someone murdered her, they didn't do a very good job of hiding the body. Corporal, how'd you see her?" Fiyero wanted to know. The body was not far off the road, but she was in a ditch.

"A huge bird flew up in front of me and I slammed on the brakes. I turned my head to see where it had come from, wondering if it was being chased, and I saw her. I'm always on alert for robbers on the Yellow Brick Road, but I wouldn't have seen her if that bird hadn't surprised me," Roth explained. Fiyero narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it and his skin crawled. He fully trusted the Corporal, but they were just talking about a witch in the carriage.

"We'll load her body onto the back of the carriage. Then we'll head to the nearest town to see if they know her. If we leave her, the animals will get her," Fiyero frowned, handing Elphaba his rifle. The Corporal carefully scooped up her feet and the Prince grabbed her shoulders. Elphaba felt a chill. There was something in the air and she didn't like it.

To Be Continued…