"Dead end," said Fiyero. "Any air flow?"

Elphaba finished drawing the section of the map and conjured a small puff of smoke. It went straight up, no draw, so she marked an 'X' on the map.

Her agreeing to stay behind only lasted a day. She was stubborn, but—not that Fiyero would admit it—he was glad for the company. They had found some exits. A cave system that started as a basis for the tunnels and a man-made air vent.

They actually made it really close to Vadallet Du, which just made Elphaba decide there must be a passage to it that had been caved in. Even so, they were going to try every path first before digging a new one. It was slow, careful work.

"Time to head back," said Elphaba. "The lantern is running low."

She was afraid of the dark. She didn't tell him, but after a year together he'd picked up on these things. Storms, the dark, being alone. Things young children were usually afraid of but grew out of. She put on a brave face, but he could tell those things really set her on edge. Her shoulders would tense, she'd dig her nails into her skirts, and she would rock just slightly as if she were thinking of a song.

Pointing them out would just make her work harder to hide them, so he would just quietly place a fresh candle in her room so she wouldn't wake up in the dark or insist on a piano lesson during a nasty storm or find an excuse to be wherever she was. She didn't always like to talk, but he found she often liked existing in the same space doing her own thing while he did his.

Elphaba rested her hand in the crook of his elbow as they hurried back to the castle.

The times where they fought like a cat and dog seemed impossible now and Fiyero wondered how he ever could have hated her.

The oil in the lanterns were dwindling. Elphaba's grip tightened on his arm and her jaw set.

Finally, they reached the familiar tunnels beneath Kiamo Ko and the torch brackets lit up.

Elphaba exhaled softly and relaxed her hold, though her hand remained on his arm.

What was this feeling? He thought he might have felt it before, but it had been so long since he truly felt anything.

"Time for tea," she said, placing the lantern in its proper place.

"Mind if I join you?" Fiyero asked.

"Not at all."

She pulled her hair out of its braid and brushed it out, making sure there was nothing caught in it. It had a mind of its own, fluffing and curling.

Fiyero liked it when her hair was down like this.

She left it out as they headed to one of the warmed sitting rooms, a tea tray already set out. Chistery was sitting upside down in a chair reading a book he held in his feet while he toyed with a puzzle box.

"Good afternoon, Chistery," said Elphaba.

"No thanks, I'm fine," said Chistery.

"He's already ignoring us," said Fiyero, wiping away imaginary tears. "They grow up so fast."

Elphaba chuckled and settled back in her chair with a cup cradled in her hands.

"Fiyero?" she said after a while.

"Hm?"

She handed over the invitation to the Burgomaster's Harvest Festival Gala. She had been looking at it while she drank her tea.

"What's that list there at the bottom?" she asked.

He took the paper and scanned the list.

"Oh, it's the dances that will be played at the gala," he said. "I'm familiar with most of them."

"I see."

"There's still some time," he said. "Why don't we step back from the tunnels and I can teach you a few of them."

She looked apprehensive.

"We'll do the really easy ones," he promised. "Line dances, two steps, the waltz, and the traditional folk dance of the area. Only a few of these are really complicated."

"But how will I learn without music?" she asked.

She had a point there. He tapped his fingers against his cheek.

"Why not hire a musician familiar with the songs from the village?" Dr. Dillamond suggested. "Forgive my intrusion, I smelled tea."

Elphaba offered him the muslin tea bag, which he popped into his mouth like a cookie.

"Not a bad idea," said Fiyero. "I'll go tomorrow and see if I can find someone."

"Very well," said Elphaba.

She didn't seem all too excited about it, but she wasn't digging her heels in either. He appreciated that she was going along with it. Besides, it would look strange if he didn't share at least one dance with the lady of the castle.

~o0o~

The day of the Harvest Festival quickly arrived and Fiyero was excited. It'd been so long since he'd gone socializing and dancing. Elphaba managed to learn the dances and the past few days he caught her practicing when she thought no one was looking.

Fiyero hurried to her room before the sun rose and placed a large box where she could easily see it.

If he mentioned it, she would probably call him an idiot or vehemently deny it, but she could be such a girl. She could pretend she thought it was silly and a waste of money all she wanted, but there was still a part of her that longed to own pretty things. She still wasn't like any girl he knew growing up, but he hoped she'd realize that there was nothing foolish about wanting nice things.

"Fiyero?"

Dammit! Caught. He froze in place hoping she might fall back to sleep. Instead, the door to her bed opened.

"What are you doing in my room?" she asked.

No sense in lying. She'd see through it anyway.

"I got you a present," he said. "I wanted to surprise you with it, but I guess I wasn't quiet enough."

She furrowed her brow and pulled the door shut. He heard fabric rustle, a thud, and a soft 'ow', then she climbed out, wrapped up in her dressing gown and rubbing her head.

"You okay?"

"Just hit my head," she said and put on her glasses. "What sort of present?"

He held the box out and worried about her reaction. Would she hate it? Would she get mad at him?

Elphaba swiftly untied the ribbon and removed the lid, dropping it in shock.

"I just… thought you'd like a new dress to wear to the gala," said Fiyero. "You tailored a suit for me, after all."

Though, he had ordered it before they received the invitation. He just wanted her to have something beautiful.

"Is it the color?" Fiyero asked, wincing at her lack of response.

She hovered her hands over it, as if it would burn her, then carefully lifted it out of the box. It was a beautiful shade of blue like the diamonds in the tiara she had tried on.

"It's beautiful," she said, sweeping her thumb along the black lace that decorated the swooping neckline. She hesitated as if to reject it, to claim she didn't need it, then looked up at him. "Thank you, Fiyero."

She carried it to her wardrobe and hung it up so it wouldn't get dirty before she was ready to put it on.

"And I took the liberty of selecting some jewelry pieces for you," he said.

She whipped around and opened her mouth to argue.

"Because I knew you would insist you don't need it, but this is a special occasion," he said.

She closed her mouth. Point to Fiyero. He tried not to look too smug.

"You should try to get a little more rest," he said. "You'll need your energy for the gala."

"Alright."

"You're being so agreeable. I should withhold coffee from you if this is how you are before it."

She stuck her tongue out and he grinned. She placed the jewelry boxes on the table by her armchair, then turned and took both his hands, squeezing them.

"Really, Fiyero," she said. "Thank you."

She stretched up and kissed his cheek. Her soft lips just barely brushing his skin.

"I wanted you to have something nice," he said. "I don't know much about style, but I trust the ladies at the dress shop. Everything in the castle is decades or centuries old except for the clothes left by the woman who passed through just before you came here."

"I looked at those," Elphaba admitted and chuckled. "Aside from being much too short for my limbs, I don't think I could pull that shade of pink off."

"Not with that attitude," Fiyero teased.

"And even if I wasn't much too tall, I'd have to stuff my corset with papayas to fill the bodice out."

Fiyero laughed at the mental image. Elphaba squeezed his hands once more, then made a shooing motion.

"Alright, out of my room," she said. "I'll see you later."

"Until later," he said and left.

He made sure the suit she tailored for him was ready and didn't have any tears, then wondered how he was going to fill the hours until it was time to leave. He was excited.

Chistery wasn't interested in a stuffy gala, so Dr. Dillamond promised to take him to the carnival held in the plaza, then the four of them would attend the remaining days of the festival together. There would be games and competitions. Elphaba was entering a pie at their insistence.

Fiyero managed to pass the time and when Elphaba returned to her room to get ready, he did the same.

He wiped down his head and sanded rough spots on his hands so he wouldn't accidentally give Elphaba any splinters when they danced. He checked his breath, then remembered he couldn't smell. Maybe he could stuff a spice into his mouth. Perhaps mint or cinnamon.

Sighing softly, he put on the suit and checked himself in the mirror. Not quite his dashing human self, but he still looked smart. As smart as he could for a scarecrow. It did feel a bit strange to not stuff himself with straw, but he felt like he didn't need the burlap sack to hide his face anymore.

He made his way down to the foyer to wait for Elphaba. It was still early and she was good at managing her time.

As the sun was beginning to set, he heard her heels click against the stone floor.

Straightening up, he placed one arm behind his back and looked up the staircase. Elphaba rounded the bannister and carefully made her way down the steps. Fiyero found himself dumb-struck. Same as he had when he woke up in the pumpkin patch this last time to see her waiting for him and smiling.

The word 'beautiful' came to mind.

The dress fit her perfectly and suited her well. She even put on the jewelry he selected: a choker and earrings. She wore satin gloves that went up to her elbows and had her cloak draped over her arm. Her hair was elegantly done in the plaited bun she usually wore it in, but she had added ribbon to the braid and silk flowers.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked.

"Uh… well, it didn't take me as long to get ready as I thought it would," he said.

Go on. Say something charming. 'It was worth the wait.' 'You look beautiful.' 'Nice dress, where'd you get it?' Anything.

Words eluded him. He must've left his brain in the other pumpkin.

"You look very handsome," she said without a hint of irony or sarcasm. She conjured a beautiful, lavender rose and tucked it into his lapel. "There we are. Let's go then."

And then the moment to compliment her was gone. Fiyero sighed inwardly and helped her put her cloak on before they went out to the carriage.

Elphaba looked out the window, the only sign of her nervousness being her fidgeting fingers.

"I think autumn is my favorite season," she said decisively. "When all the leaves change."

"I always liked spring," said Fiyero. "But I liked going to the sea during the summer."

"I've never been to the sea," she mused.

"I'll take you one day," he said. "Why don't we go next summer?"

"I think I might like that," she said and smiled slightly. "Why is it called the Deadly Sea?"

"Uhm…" he wracked his brain for the answer. "I think because it's too salty to drink. But that's just a nickname. We just call it Uma, it's the old Vinkun word for sea."

As they entered town, the carriage was recognized and they were immediately greeted with cheerful waves from villagers they passed. Fiyero thought he caught a glimpse of Chistery and Dr. Dillamond at a cart that was selling candy apples.

As a kid, Fiyero's favorite part of the festival was getting to sleep and eat meals outside under the large tree in the palace gardens, provided the weather was nice. It usually wasn't too bad down at the Thousand Year Grasslands.

The carriage finally pulled up to the Burgomaster's house and the door opened on its own. Fiyero hurried out and offered his hand to Elphaba.

They could hear the celebration in the main plaza for everyone else and Fiyero found himself wishing they were attending that one instead of this one.

Elphaba handed over their invitation to the butler at the door and they were marked off the list.

Gentle music played while guests milled around waiting for dinner to be served. Elphaba straightened her spine and clutched Fiyero's arm. It was clear that the guests were mainly from out of town, wearing attire that varied from traditional Vinkun to the latest fashions from the Emerald City.

"Prince Scarecrow and Lady Elphaba!" said Mr. Abolar, loud enough to gain attention from the guests. "So glad you could make it."

He shook both their hands as did Mrs. Abolar.

"Allow me to introduce you to everyone," she said.

Based on the size of their dining table and the number of place settings, Fiyero guessed there would be about thirty guests, which meant most if not all had arrived and they were fashionably late. Best not to tell Elphaba, she'd be mortified.

The guests were indeed in higher social standing, many seemed to be in charge of neighboring towns. Larger towns. Fiyero recognized two Chiefs from the council meetings he had been forced to go to: Chief Renard from the Zuli Tribe and Chief Thunder from the Bovi tribe. There was also a Duchess, a couple lords and ladies, a Mayoress, a Margrave, and fellow Burgomasters.

They stared at Fiyero and Elphaba with expressions that plainly stated they didn't believe the pair were anything but riffraff.

Maybe this was a mistake.

But they had accepted the invitation and Fiyero was here to dance.

Elphaba was very good at pretending she didn't give one twig about what people thought of her, so Fiyero did the same.

"Here I am!" a sweet and bubbly voice chimed out. "It's good to see me, isn't it?"

"You must meet my niece," said Mrs. Abolar, leading them to the staircase.

She must have been staying there but had taken a long time to get ready. Fiyero stopped dead in his tracks. It was her, the woman who had showed up at his castle before Elphaba. In this light she was even more beautiful. 'Perfect' came to mind. Her pink dress looked to be the latest fashion from the Emerald City, her hair too. She was graceful and called the attention of everyone in the room. Golden hair, warm brown skin, dazzling smile.

"Galinda, dear, come meet Prince Scarecrow," said Mrs. Abolar.

"Prince?"

Galinda followed her aunt, took one look at the pair, and yelped.

"We get that a lot," said Elphaba drily.

"They live in Kiamo Ko castle," said Mrs. Abolar, using an iron grip to keep her niece from running. "His Grace is the ruler of this province and they both protect us from the bandits in the absence of the King and Queen."

The change was immediate. Galinda smiled brightly.

"Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, Your Grace," she said, holding out her hand. "How do you do?"

Ah. She was very important herself. The Upper Uplands were very highly ranked in Gillikin. No official titles, but they didn't need them. Fiyero took her hand and kissed it and Elphaba shook her hand firmly.

This was the most beautiful woman in the world, she could break his curse. He'd seen a lot of women, the only other who could have broken it was his childhood sweetheart, Sarima, but she hadn't been there when he was cursed and when they were fifteen, she was betrothed to some prince from Fliann. She was likely married by now.

"We are acquainted," said Galinda. "I passed by last year, I believe."

"Yes, and you left in quite the hurry," said Fiyero. "You left some of your belongings behind. Please. Feel free to stop by and pick them up anytime."

"How kind of you," she said. "Yes, I should stop by for them while I'm visiting my dear aunt."

A bell rang, which must've meant all the guests had arrived.

"Dinner is served," said the butler.

This was the part Fiyero was least looking forward to. He barely tolerated this social dance when he was human, preferring to focus on his meal, but he couldn't do that anymore.

As the highest ranking person there, Fiyero's place was at the end of the table opposite the Burgomaster, who sat at the head of the table since he was the host. Fiyero pulled out the chair to his right for Elphaba.

Galinda, it would seem, was placed to his left. A brief expression like she bit into a lemon crossed her face, but Fiyero still pulled her chair out for her, because he was polite and she was unescorted.

"A quick toast before we begin," said Mr. Abolar. "Here's to a wonderful year. It has been difficult, but I would like to give a special thank you to my honored guests, Prince Scarecrow and Lady Elphaba. Without whom, we would have lost our children's lives and would still be plagued by those horrendible soldiers."

They raised their glasses.

"Thank you for inviting us into your home," said Elphaba.

The first course was placed in front of everyone sans Fiyero. After a few dinner visits they knew he didn't eat. It always looked delicious. He wished he could at least smell it.

Elphaba looked like she belonged at the table. She was very proper, and though her etiquette was different, it was culturally different rather than ignorance.

"Aren't you going to eat, Your Grace?" Duchess Suerti, an older, very old-fashioned and elegant woman asked.

If Fiyero and Elphaba weren't there, no doubt she would be sitting in his place. She seemed a bit miffed about that, actually.

"Scarecrow doesn't need to eat," said Elphaba. "He is a living scarecrow and therefore does not require constant replenishment of energy."

"I see…"

"I will tell you, he's never insulted my cooking," she said.

There was a beat and some laughter. Genuine but suppressed to a polite level. Fiyero grinned.

"You do the cooking?" Galinda asked and a few looked scandalized.

"Only when I feel like it."

"Tell me, how much staff do you keep at your castle?" a man asked.

"Just the Castle," said Fiyero. "She's enchanted and provides meals for any of my guests as well as warmth and water and anything else we might need. We are looking into hiring a staff to maintain upkeep so Elphaba can focus on being a healer."

"Elphaba is such a wonderful healer," said Mrs. Abolar. "And the most powerful witch any of us have seen."

Elphaba looked down at her plate, embarrassed by the praise.

Duchess Suerti sniffed.

"Your place, Lady Scarecrow, is running the household and bearing children," she said. "As many children as possible."

Fiyero choked and made a weird hacking noise, spewing out pumpkin seeds on the table cloth in front of him.

Elphaba swept the seeds into her hand and folded them away into her napkin, which was whisked away by a maid.

"A lot of people seem to be under the impression we are married," she said. "We are not. This soup is wonderful. What kind is it?"

"It's pumpkin soup—" Mr. Abolar's face fell as he looked at Fiyero. "I am so sorry."

Fiyero looked at Elphaba's bowl and gasped, covering his mouth.

"My son," he whispered.

Elphaba swatted his arm, but he could tell she was trying not to laugh.

"Where are you from originally, Miss Elphaba?" asked Galinda, changing the subject.

"Munchkinland," she said. "My father is a textile merchant."

"Really," Galinda said. "I didn't know people from Munchkinland could be… tall. And how did you come to live with His Highness? Are you at least courting?"

"She's the Court Wizard," said Fiyero.

"I see."

Her eyelashes fluttered.

Oh. Now she was interested.

Well, she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he wanted his curse broken more than anything.

Conversation thankfully moved on. Fiyero maintained a decent conversation with Galinda. She was definishly his type.

When dinner was over, they moved to the other room to talk and dance.

"Do you dance?" Galinda asked.

"Of course," he said. "Shall we?"

She was an excellent dancer even with his awkward height. It was good to dance, to hold someone in his arms, to let the music move him and to talk about shallow things.

He almost felt like himself again.