Fiyero awoke just as the soft light of dusk was beginning to descend. He sat up and stretched, working a crick out of his neck that had developed during his uncomfortable stay on the forest floor. They'd hidden themselves away in a thick grove of trees well off the beaten path for the better part of the day. Elphaba stood a short distance away from him, staring straight ahead from her position between two thick tree trunks.
Fiyero had volunteered for the first watch as dawn had broken over their campsite earlier in the day. He had insisted in the face of Elphaba's weak protests, sure that he would be unable to sleep after everything that had happened between him. He'd spent the next few hours of his vigil replaying the scene over and over in his mind and casting subtle glances towards the sleeping woman behind him, grappling with the inexplicable feeling that she would vanish if he took his eyes off her for too long.
Fiyero ran a hand through his messy hair and got to his feet. He made his way over to Elphaba, making sure his footsteps were heavy enough that his approach wouldn't startle her. She turned to face him as he drew nearer.
He was struck by how beautiful she looked, standing silhouetted against the backdrop of the forest in the evening light. If Fiyero hadn't already known that he was helpless before her, then he certainly knew it after last night. She had a power over him that had nothing to do with her magical prowess.
Words suddenly didn't seem like enough as Fiyero struggled with what to say. Finally, he decided on, "Hey," as he sidled up beside her.
"Good morning," she said, then paused and amended, "Or good evening, I suppose. We should get moving if we want to make it to Munchkinland by sunup."
Fiyero was disappointed but not particularly surprised that she was all business as she gathered her cloak and broomstick. Feeling suddenly self-conscious in a way he rarely had on mornings-after past, he said, "So last night. Was it…was that…okay?" The words sounded lame to his own ears even as they left his mouth, and he cringed internally.
Elphaba paused in the gathering of her belongings and turned to look at him. She seemed suddenly uncertain and answered slowly, "It was…unexpected." Fiyero felt a slight blow to his pride, before she continued hastily, "But not in a bad way. I don't exactly have much point of comparison but…it was good. It was nice." She wouldn't meet his eyes as she stumbled over her words, clearly still flustered.
"Oh, well that's good," Fiyero responded lamely, unsure of what else to say.
Elphaba gave him a small, slightly pained smile in acknowledgement of their mutual awkwardness, then held her broom out in front of her and said, "Are you ready?"
Fiyero was sure the horror he felt at the prospect of another night of flying showed plainly on his face, for Elphaba's smile widened slightly as she swung her leg over the broomstick and waited for him to climb on behind her. Fiyero sighed, resigned to his fate, and wrapped her arms around Elphaba's waist in anticipation of take-off.
The second night's journey did prove to be a bit easier now that Fiyero knew what to expect. It was still uncomfortable and abjectly terrifying, but at least his head wasn't spinning quite so badly this time around. They flew on for a few hours, until they reached the edge of the forest. Elphaba took them down and they dismounted, still hidden among the cover of the treetops.
"We should travel the rest of the way on foot," she said quietly, glancing around to ensure their location was secure. Fiyero nodded his assent, and they reluctantly left the cover of the forest to travel the rest of the way into Munchkinland.
It was still the very early hours of the morning, and the sun had not even begun to poke above the horizon. Even the most ambitious of farmers were not yet awake, and so they met no opposition as they stalked quietly through the cornfields towards the governor's mansion. Fiyero glanced at Elphaba as they made their way deeper into her former homeland, wondering if she felt any sense of nostalgia for it, but her face remained an unreadable mask.
The first rays of dawn had just begun to bleed into the sky when Elphaba held out a hand to signal Fiyero to stop. He slowed his gait beside her as she glanced out around a corn stalk and then nodded to him. He stepped closer, and in an instant the fields around them vanished in a familiar plume of red smoke. Fiyero suddenly found himself standing very close to Elphaba in a cramped space, both of them encased in complete darkness.
He waited for his eyes to adjust, then shifted in an attempt to find a more comfortable position. Something brushed the back of his neck and almost caused him to jump. He reached behind and found that it was a dress on a wire hanger, and that there were several other articles of clothing hanging behind it. Fiyero turned to the side and could just make out the outline of a small table and chairs through the thick mesh window of the wardrobe in which Elphaba had chosen to hide them.
He turned back to face her. They were standing so close together in the cramped space that Fiyero was certain she could see his questioning expression even in the dim light. An apologetic shrug was her silent reply.
They stayed that way for some time, Fiyero trying to ignore the steadily worsening cramping in his calves. Slowly, the room around them came into sharper focus as early morning light began to spill in through the windows. After what felt like an eternity, the approaching sound of wheels against the wooden floor reached their ears, and he heard Elphaba's sharp but quiet intake of breath as her sister appeared in the doorway.
The governor of Munchkinland sat straight-backed in her extravagant chair, her light brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore a simple and modest black dress that still flattered her delicate frame. Fiyero thought he could see the slight resemblance between Elphaba and her sister, despite the fact that the governor's skin was pale and fair.
Before Fiyero could register what was going on, Elphaba pushed open the door on her side of the wardrobe and stepped into view. The governor wheeled around, clearly startled by the sudden, unexpected presence, and then gaped at Elphaba in shock.
"Nessa," Elphaba said with quiet uncertainty.
Nessarose opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly too stunned by the sudden appearance of her prodigal sister to form words. Finally, her confused expression morphed into one of anger. "Elphaba? What in Oz's name do you think you're doing here?"
Elphaba held up her hands in front of her defensively and responded, "Nessa, I'm sorry I haven't visited sooner. You must know that I've wanted to see you for some time, but it was too dangerous."
Nessarose still seemed to be trying to come to terms with her sister's audacity. She wheeled her chair towards Elphaba and said bitterly, "Too dangerous to visit your sister, but not too dangerous to go flying around Oz helping Animals you've never even met. You didn't even bother to make an appearance when father died. Tell me, why have you chosen now to grace me with your presence?"
Fiyero took this as his cue to step out of the wardrobe behind Elphaba. If Nessarose had been confused at her sister's sudden appearance, it was nothing compared to the sight of the prince of the Vinkus stumbling out from amongst her formalwear.
Fiyero was suddenly very self-conscious about the rumpled state of his clothing and hair after two days of travel. He tried to smooth some of the wrinkles from his shirt, then extended his right hand towards Nessarose and said, "Fiyero Tigelaar, crowned prince of the Vinkus."
The governor simply gaped at him, her eyes shifting between him and Elphaba as Nessarose struggled to comprehend the sight in front of her. When she didn't make any move to shake his hand, Fiyero let it drop awkwardly back to his side.
Instead of acknowledging Fiyero, she turned back to Elphaba and said angrily, "You've enchanted the prince of the Vinkus? Are you out of your mind?"
Fiyero was beginning to grow offended by the number of people who had assumed Elphaba had him under a spell. Did he really appear so weak-willed that it was everyone's immediate assumption?
"Hey, hey, no one is enchanted here," he insisted, "Elphaba and I are…" He didn't think the word 'lovers' would go over well with either of the women standing before him.
"Working together," Elphaba finished hastily. Nessarose didn't seem to notice the slight blush rising in her sister's cheeks, but it wasn't lost on Fiyero.
"You expect me to believe that the prince of the Vinkus is suddenly working with Oz's most wanted fugitive?" Nessarose asked, the pitch of her voice rising slightly. "Isn't this the same Fiyero Tigelaar who was captain of the Gale Force and engaged to Glinda the Good?"
Fiyero blinked at her for a moment. "It's been an eventful few weeks," he said sheepishly, ignoring the look of exasperation that Elphaba shot in his direction.
"Are you talking to someone, darling?" came the sudden sound of a male voice from somewhere down the hallway. Both Elphaba and Fiyero froze in place, and Elphaba turned as though to make for her hiding place in the wardrobe. However, before she could move from where she was standing, another figure appeared in the doorway.
The governor's husband was a tall, bespectacled man, with wavy dark hair that was combed neatly atop his head. He appeared to be a few years older than Nessarose, and was still dressed in his nightclothes, clearly not having expected visitors at such an early hour. His face paled considerably as his eyes glided right past Fiyero and landed on Elphaba.
"Sweet Oz!" he shouted, stepping further into the room. His eyes darted around wildly until they fell upon a letter opener on a nearby desk. He snatched it and pointed it towards Elphaba as he positioned himself between Nessarose and her sister. His hands were quite noticeably shaking as he shouted, "Get back, Witch!"
Elphaba, clearly used to this type of reaction, scarcely changed her expression as she flicked her wrist towards the weapon he was pointing at her. It went flying from the man's hands and lodged itself point-first into the wall to his right. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said carefully, holding her hands up in front of her in a gesture of surrender.
Still trembling, Nessa's husband turned to her and said, "Nessa, get out of here. I'll handle this."
Nessarose seemed caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, but quickly recovered herself. "It's alright, dear," she said, wheeling herself forward so that she was at her husband's side. "My sister is all bark and no bite. She isn't going to hurt us."
Elphaba seemed mildly affronted by her sister's statement, but she did not refute it as she lowered her hands back to her side, watching Nessa's husband warily.
Nessa sighed and rubbed her fingers along her temples. "Elphaba, this is my husband, Lord Gallien Maitland. Gallien, my sister, Elphaba," she said irritably, gesturing between the two.
Gallien seemed completely baffled by his wife's flippancy towards the presence of the Wicked Witch of the West in their home. He glanced back and forth between the two women, apparently unsure of whether to retrieve his weapon and fight or turn and flee back down the hallway. After a moment, he seemed to notice the fourth presence in the room and turned his eyes to Fiyero with a look of confusion.
Fiyero, upon feeling all of the eyes in the room land on him, cleared his throat and awkwardly repeated, "Fiyero Tigelaar, crowned prince of the Vinkus." He extended his hand again and this time Gallien did move to shake it with a dazed expression on his face.
"My sister was just about to explain what in Oz's name she thinks she's doing in our home," Nessarose said irritably, leveling a glare at Elphaba.
Elphaba didn't seem surprised by her sister's aggression. Sighing, she steeled herself and said, "We've come to ask for your help."
Predictably, Nessarose did not take kindly to this. She let out a sharp, bitter laugh and said, "Help? Where were you when I needed help, Elphaba. You abandoned me without a thought to go flying off on whatever ridiculous mission you've been busying yourself with for the past few years. You weren't here when father died, or when I took up the position of governor. If I hadn't met Gallien, I can scarcely imagine where I would be right now."
Elphaba seemed completely cowed by her sister's accusations. Fiyero had never seen her look so unsure of herself. Deciding to try a different angle, he stepped forward and said, "We're here to propose a political alliance that I think would be beneficial to all of us." Nessarose turned towards him, looking as though she couldn't believe he'd had the gall to interrupt her tirade towards her sister. Fiyero went on, "The Vinkus requests that Munchkinland stand with us in opposing the Wizard's corrupt regime and unfair Animal bans."
Nessarose let out another laugh at this and shot a knowing glance at Elphaba as she said, "The Animals again." She turned to Fiyero and continued, "I don't know what my sister could possibly have done to you to get you to agree to this, but you're both unhinged if you think Munchkinland wants any part of what you're suggesting."
Fiyero straightened up to his full height, attempting to call upon any sense of authority he could muster. "As the future ruler of the Vinkus, I must insist that you at least hear me out, Madame Governor," he said. "Is there somewhere we can talk?
So, when I originally wrote this story I still had Fiyero refer to Nessa as the Wicked Witch of the East in the early chapters, but then I decided it was more fun to play around with the AU aspects of this. In a world where Fiyero never when to Shiz and never invited Galinda to the Ozdust, meaning that Galinda never foisted Boq off on Nessarose, would the younger Thropp have had a bit more luck in the romance department? I posit - why not? It's fun!