8.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Elphie?" asked Glinda for the umpteenth time. Even Talleen was convinced by now that Elphaba wasn't going to join them for the first evening of the Oz Summer Fair; however, Glinda, being Glinda, was unrelenting.

"Positive. Trust me, you don't want me there."

Glinda may have changed immensely, but she still wasn't keen on not getting her way. "It's like you're allergic to fun," she pouted.

"I'm not allergic to fun. We just have different definitions of fun."

"Very different. I dread to think what are yours," Glinda shivered in mock-horror. Avaric walked into the library, unknowingly saving Elphaba, to let them know that the carriage was ready, and Glinda's frown shifted into a radiant smile. "Alright! Off we go!"

"Goodbye, sweetheart," Elphaba kissed the top of Talleen's head as she came to hug her goodbye. "Look after your father. Don't let him eat too many sweets," she said, mock-glaring at him over their daughter's head.

"I can't make any promises," he told her, winking at Talleen. Elphaba walked them to the door. Although his nightmare hadn't recurred since their first night at the palace, he was apprehensive about leaving her alone there, but at the same time he was glad she was staying behind. She looked drained, and he was relieved she wasn't trying to overdue it just for the sake of appeasing Glinda. And she would be fine here, really; there was no reason to become overly paranoid over one dream.

As Glinda helped Talleen inside the carriage, he caressed Elphaba's cheek. "Be safe. Get some rest."

"That's exactly what I'm going to do. Now go, my bubble bath is getting cold."

"What bubble bath?" he stammered, his throat suddenly dry, his fears all gone. All of a sudden an evening at the fair seemed much less appealing.

"That's my definition of fun," she murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

"Fiyero, let's go!" hollered Avaric, ruining the moment. Elphaba pulled away, smiling shyly at him as she pointed her chin at the awaiting carriage. He threw a nasty look at his friend, then pecked her lips again and joined his friends and daughter.

Dusk had fallen as the carriage came to a halt in front of the fair grounds. Talleen stared out of the window, mesmerized by the chaos of color and sound. "Papa, look!"

"I bet there's nothing like this in that village of yours," said Glinda, smiling proudly.

"Not quite, no," he laughed, then looked at Talleen. "Right, little one. Rules. Always stay where one of us can see you. If I say we can't go on a ride, it's either because you're too small or I'm too scared. And most importantly - absolutely do not tell your mother about the sweets we're going to eat, because, say it with me…"

"What happens at the fair stays at the fair!" rejoiced Avaric and Glinda, much to Talleen's delight.

"Phew," Glinda sighed in mock-relief. "For a clock tick I feared you'd contracted Elphie's fun allergy!" After glancing outside, she turned to give him an inquiring look. "It appears we've got quite a welcome. I suspect they'll be expecting Elphaba, but maybe if I introduce the two of you...?"

"Sure, I guess," he shrugged. So far he'd met only those who came to see Elphaba at the palace, but never formally; Talleen they didn't know at all, let alone the twins. As much as he'd wanted to shield his children from the media frenzy, he knew it was inevitable, and figured it was probably best to do it on their terms. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, then nodded to Glinda. "Work your magic, Your Goodness."

Glinda nodded, and looked at Talleen. "It's going to be a little crowded," she told her. "Don't let go of Papa's hand, alright, sweetness?"

His daughter nodded trustingly. "Yes, Auntie Ginda."

Glinda, well-accustomed to the attention, greeted the excited Ozians who surrounded the carriage, graciously smiling and waving and shaking hands as the rest of them filed out of the carriage.

"Isn't Miss Elphaba coming, Your Goodness?" asked a reporter. There was a collective sound of disappointment as people began to realize she was absent.

Glinda's face wore a sorrowful expression. "Unfortunately, Miss Elphaba had to tend to an urgent stately matter," she replied diplomatically before turning to wink at him. "But may I present her husband, Master Tiggular, and their daughter Talleen."

The crowd grew impossibly thicker around them, everyone wanting to take a closer look. If anyone recognized him as the man who was once engaged to Glinda, no one dared to point it out.

"A few words for the Oz Chronicle, Sir, if you'll be so kind?"

"Oh." For a moment he just stared at them dumbly, felt at a loss as they were all watching him, waiting for what he had to say. He cleared his throat, thought what Elphaba would have said, and then, the words just came to him. "My wife and I are grateful for your warm welcome. You've been nothing but kind and hospitable in the passed few days, and reminded us what our Oz is all about. I cannot speak for Elphaba, but it's been a truly humbling experience and I suspect she shares this sentiment."

"Can you tell us if you've decided to stay here for good, Sir?"

He laughed sheepishly, then replied, "I'll leave any formal announcement for Her Goodness," with smoothness that caught him off guard. Let them make what they wanted out of that. He was already exhausted, his face aching with smiling so widely. He could only admire Glinda for doing this on a regular basis. He felt Talleen's grip on his hand tighten; she looked as overwhelmed as he felt. He scooped her in his arms, holding her to his chest protectively, for his own comfort as well as for hers.

"Are you as powerful a sorceress as your mother, little one?"

"I'm four," Talleen's matter-of-fact reply elicited a roaring laughter. He couldn't help but smirk at it himself; she sounded so much like Elphaba he wouldn't be surprised if she did turn out to be as powerful as her mother someday.

"Now if you'll excuse us," said Glinda, taking advantage on the collective amusement. "I promised my Ozdaughter a thrillifying evening at the fair, and I intend to make good on that promise!"

Despite his initial fear that the curious Ozians would chase them around the fair, everyone actually kept a respectable distance, allowing them to enjoy in private at this very public setting. His thoughts kept wandering back to Elphaba as the evening unfolded. She was right to stay behind; she would have absolutely loathed every second of it. He, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, and judging by his daughter's squeals of delight in every ride they went on, he had successfully passed it on to her as well. Their favorite was the ferris wheel, for the view from the top was spectacular. When they spotted the turrets of the palace they waved, as if there was the slightest chance of Elphaba watching them, and waving back.

"What shall we do next?" he asked Talleen as they finally stepped down after their fourth round. Glinda disappeared with a reporter some time ago, for an interview she had promised to give. Avaric went to get them drinks. As they passed by a stall Talleen suddenly stopped, looking longingly at the stuffed animals that adorned the shelves behind the Antelope who manned the counter.

"Can we get the panda, Papa?" she pleaded.

"These aren't for sale. It's a game, see, you need to toss those rings and fit them onto the pegs," he explained as they approached the stall.

"Three rings," said the Antelope as he gave it a few coins. The pegs were too far for Talleen to handle, so he hoisted her onto his shoulders, then regained his balance before tossing the first ring, missing by an embarrassing distance.

Of course, Avaric chose that unfortunate moment to appear beside them. "You missed," he noted unnecessarily.

He turned to glare at his friend. "It's not as easy as I remembered," he grumbled.

"Here, let me try." He handed Avaric a ring, and he made a whole show of stretching his arms in preparation, which made Talleen laugh. Then, with the two of them cheering loudly, he finally raised his arm -

"There you are," piped Glinda, causing Avaric to lose his concentration and miss, almost as miserably as he did. "Oh, sorry, dearest."

He eyed the two discarded rings laying on top of one another, then turned to look at Avaric. "Do you think we're getting too old for this?"

The very notion seemed abhorrent for his best friend, who suddenly seemed horrified. "Impossible."

"Why don't I have a go?" asked Glinda, then looked up at Talleen. "Which one do you want, sweetness?"

"The panda. For Myla."

"Awww, how thoughtful."

"Are you sure, Glinda? There's only one ring left and, well, Avaric and I are taller than you."

But she barely acknowledged him as she calmly tossed the ring, which landed exactly where it was supposed to, as effortlessly as could be.

"How many for the panda?" she asked the Antelope, who seemed amused by the whole thing.

"Three, Her Goodness," it said, refusing to take her money but simply handing her two more rings, which she proceeded to expertly toss onto the peg, just as gracefully as the first one.

"There you go, sweetness," she told Talleen as she handed her the coveted panda, then threw a glance at him and Avaric, who looked as stunned as he felt. "Always remember you're just as capable as any man around, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And now... shall we get something to eat?"

On their way back hours later, Talleen was asleep with her head on his lap, holding on to her new panda. Glinda was dozing off with her head against Avaric's shoulder. The conversation had died somewhere along the way, which allowed his previous fears resurface. He tried to tell himself he was acting silly - surely Chistery would have come to find them if something was wrong. Be it as it may, he spent the ride back to the palace in dreadful anticipation, one he could only hope would amount to nothing.

It was quiet at the palace, as most of the servants retired to their beds by then, probably in preparation for the banquette the following day. He carried Talleen upstairs and tucked her in next to the panda, thinking she would want to give it to Myla herself in the morning. He made sure the twins were alright before finally making his way across the hall.

The first thing he saw was the empty bed, but knowing her, that didn't mean anything. And indeed, as he walked into the room, he found her sleeping in the armchair by the window. A book lay open on the footstool next to her, a crystal ball serving as a bookmark of sorts. These passed few days she'd been challenging herself with Divination, so far with little success, by her own admittance.

He knelt next to her, but barely even touched her hand as she stirred. "You're back," she murmured.

"I will never understand your aversion of perfectly comfortable beds," he chided her gently as she sat up straighter, stretching her back through a yawn.

"If you must know, I just closed my eyes. I was waiting for you."

He didn't know if he believed her, but didn't push it. He nodded at the book. "Any luck?"

"Not really. Everything is fuzzy, past or future. I can't get a clear prediction."

"Want to see a really clear prediction?" he winked at her before leaning in to finish the kiss he'd been deprived of earlier that evening.

"I hardly need the crystal ball to predict that," she pointed out as they pulled away, fondly tossing his hair before coming to sit next to him on the carpeted floor by the armchair. "Did you have a good time?"

"We had the best time. So much so that you will have to explain to Talleen why can't we live at the fair when we return here."

She rolled her eyes, unconvinced. "Have you even tried to reason with her?"

"She just had really good arguments. And would hardly let anyone else talk. Sounds like someone you know?"

She seemed ready to retort, but something behind him distracted her. He almost forgot. "Oh, we brought you something."

She didn't seem amused. In fact, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Fiyero, it that's a stuffed animal behind your back, I swear to Oz - " Her voice trailed off as he pulled the paper bag from behind his back, then handed it to her with a small smile. She peeked inside and gasped, her eyes flying back to his. "Is that…"

"Pink and green cotton candy, yes."

"How did you - "

"Glinda told me," he replied softly, hesitantly. "I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Her voice cracked ever so slightly. She shook her head, as if dismissing this display of weakness. "I can't believe she remembered."

"I can't believe you never told me."

"It's so inconsequential, comparing to things my father has said and done. I don't even know how Glinda got it out of me."

"Glinda will get anything out of anyone if she sets her heart on it."

"Yes, exactly."

He didn't want to tell her how sad Glinda's tale had made him. As if it wasn't enough how Elphaba's father had always denied her simple pleasures such as having cotton candy because the mere sight of it made Nessarose throw a temper tantrum, like she didn't even matter, when she did confess it to Glinda, on the train en route to the Emerald City, they never got around to finding it in town as Glinda had promised her they'd do, because of the whole Wizard fiasco, leaving Elphaba doubly deprived.

"Why is it in a bag?"

Her question shook him out of his reverie. He blinked the memories away and flashed a crooked grin at her. "As much as I didn't mind looking like a fool and walking around with cotton candy on a stick, Glinda thought it would be more convenient. She made them put it in a bag just for you." He reached for the bag and ripped a cloudy piece. "Well, have a taste."

She nodded, and let him feed it to her. She seemed unprepared for the sensation of it melting on her tongue. Her eyes widened, then met his. "Sweet Oz!"

"Sweet is right," he laughed, happy to share this moment with her. He handed her the bag and she imitated him, ripping a piece and putting it in her mouth. When he tried to reach for the bag, she jokingly slapped his wrist away.

"I surrender," she said a while later. They were still sitting on the floor, their backs against the bed, the empty bag between them, dazed by the late hour and too much sugar. The words, too unusual for her to utter, shook him out of his stupor.

"Surrender?"

"Talleen is right. We should live at the fair."

"Glinda will certainly jump on the chance to cure you of your fun allergy." She chuckled and lay her head against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and yawned. "You smell like a bubble bath," he murmured, suddenly exhausted.

"You're delirious, Fiyero," she said through a yawn of her own.

"We should probably get to bed."

She murmured a reply, but it made little sense, as he was already drifting. It was only at the crack of dawn, as he woke up feeling each and every one of his aching joints with her still leaning against him, that he realized they never did make it into bed.