Another big thanks to anyone who read and especially to those who reviewed the last chapter! I really appreciate your comments and it's great to know that people are reading. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Fiyero stared dumbly at the Witch as she spoke, not quite registering that she'd addressed him. She appeared to grow annoyed at his lack of response and barked, "Didn't you hear me, you idiot? I said get some water!"

That was enough to jolt Fiyero back to reality, and he darted for the water pail. Any thoughts he'd had about the Witch being an ordinary person fled his mind as his survival instincts took hold. He had absolutely no desire to get on her bad side.

Fiyero picked up the pail and carried it over to where the Witch was now kneeling in front of the stone table, trying not to slosh too much water over the sides as he went. The thought of using the water against her returned to him, but he brushed it aside as he realized that the door to the cave was already sealed. The Witch was now placing the bundle she'd been carrying onto the table, and Fiyero noted with some apprehension that there was a large amount of what appeared to be blood staining her green fingers.

Fiyero set the pail down near the table and craned his neck to get a better look. From his new vantage he could see some sort of small animal bundled up in the material of the Witch's black cloak. There was a large gash across the creature's head that was still actively bleeding despite the notable coagulation already present around the periphery of the wound. The small creature was also clearly unconscious, its small body limp against the cold stone as the Witch set it down.

The Witch didn't bother to spare a glance in Fiyero's direction as he set the pail down next to her. Without hesitation, she removed her cloak from around the animal and dipped it into the bucket of water. Fiyero's brain all but short-circuited when he saw that her hands remained unharmed as she submerged them. The Witch's unnatural aversion to water was a well-known fact, so much so that its use as a weapon against her was covered in Gale Force training for the new recruits. Yet she took the sodden cloak and began to clean the blood from the creature's wound without so much as a grimace, then pressed the black cloth against the gash to stop the bleeding.

Fiyero watched with a blank expression as the Witch doted upon the creature like a worried mother. Her actions were so gentle and her face so full of concern that Fiyero almost forgot who she was for a moment. Now that her face was not contorted with rage or malice, she didn't seem quite the intimidating figure she had before. She also appeared to be a great deal younger than Fiyero had suspected, possibly around his age or even younger. This revelation shocked Fiyero more than anything else he'd seen so far.

For some reason, it had never occurred to Fiyero that the Witch could be a young woman. He realized that he'd never heard anyone specifically mention her age, but it had always made sense to him that she would be a bitter old hag. The fact that she wasn't unnerved him. How had she become the enemy of an entire nation when she looked like she should still be in college?

Fiyero was shaken from his thoughts as the Witch addressed him again. "Hold this in place. I need to find a spell," she said, indicating the damp cloak that was still pressed against the animal's forehead.

Fiyero blinked stupidly at her and then took over holding the cloak as the Witch made for her spell book. Now that he was closer, Fiyero could see that the animal was a small bear cub. He assumed by its size that it was still very young. He tried not to be disgusted by the copious amount of congealed blood that was matted into the creature's fur.

He could hear the Witch begin to chant from somewhere to his right and felt a familiar sense of dread overcome him as he recognized the strange language she had used to cast her spell over him the night he'd arrived. He sat completely still for a few moments, unsure of what was about to happen. He didn't sense any sort of change, but he still flinched as the Witch turned and rushed back towards him.

"Remove the cloak," she ordered, kneeling beside the table. Fiyero ignored the goose bumps that shot up his arm. Her proximity still made him uneasy, but he wasted no time as he obediently removed the makeshift bandage from the creature's head.

Fiyero registered, with some surprise, that the deep gash had vanished completely. A ring of crusted blood remained, but the underlying flesh was smooth and unbroken. Fiyero nearly toppled onto his side as the Witch elbowed him out of the way to check on the cub. She ran her fingers gingerly over the spot where the wound had been, then hummed softly to herself, apparently satisfied with her work. She dipped the bloodstained cloak back into the pail of water, staining the remaining contents a dark pink, and then began to gently wipe away the rest of the dried blood from the cub's brow. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Fiyero was still in the room. He stared at her in disbelief as she doted upon her tiny patient.

The small creature began to stir and emitted a quiet groan and the Witch pulled her hands back, her features lighting up at the sudden movement. The small bear slowly raised its head, its eyes darting around wildly for a moment until they landed on the Witch. The cub sat up, looking confused.

"Miss Elphaba?" the Bear asked in a childish female voice, and Fiyero nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected use of human speech. Clearly what he'd presumed was an animal was, in fact, an Animal. "What happened?" the Bear continued, glancing around the cave. Fiyero couldn't get over how strange it was to hear such articulate words coming from the creature's mouth. He'd never heard an Animal speak so clearly before. The Bear Cub's voice was identical to one of a human child.

Even through his shock, Fiyero registered that the Cub had called the Witch by the same name he'd encountered several times among her personal possessions. He wondered how the Witch knew this Animal, where the Cub had come from, and why it knew her real name. Fiyero hadn't really spared much thought to what the Witch did when she went out all day, but perhaps the rumors of an Animal settlement nearby were true.

"You gave me the fright of my life, that's what happened," the Witch scolded, but the relief was evident in her voice as she scooped the Bear off the table and into her arms. Fiyero stood, apparently still forgotten, as the Witch began to chide the Animal. "I told you not to play by the ravine. Do you see what happens when you don't listen?"

The Bear's eyes widened at this. She brought her paw up to the previous site of her injury and seemed surprised when it came away stained with lingering blood. "I fell in," she said quietly. It wasn't a question. "But nothing hurts," she said, turning her eyes back to Elphaba.

"Small favors," the Witch said, placing the Bear back on the table. The Cubs eyes began to wander again until they landed on Fiyero. She seemed surprised to see another person in the room.

"Who's your friend, Miss Elphaba?" she asked, her voice the picture of innocence.

The Witch froze as she turned to face Fiyero. It was apparent that she'd only just remembered he was there. She gaped in shock, clearly at a loss as to how to answer the Cub's question. She and Fiyero stared at each other in mutual confusion for what felt like an eternity.

Feeling as though he were about to choke on the growing tension in the room, Fiyero decided to answer the cub's question himself. "I'm um…I'm Fiyero," he said lamely. He wasn't quite sure what else to add. It seemed obvious to Fiyero that this Bear had no idea he was the Witch's prisoner.

There were a few more moments of strained silence, before the Witch finally seemed to regain her composure. Turning back to the Bear Cub, she said, "Come Lorgen, we need to get you home. Your mother is probably worried sick about you."

Without sparing another glance towards Fiyero, the Witch scooped up the Bear, who was apparently named Lorgen, and rushed from the room. Lorgen didn't seem to register the Witch's obvious distress, and she gave Fiyero a happy wave as she was carried out. "Bye, Mister Fiyero!"

With that, the boulder slid back into place and Fiyero was left on his own once more. He blinked at the wall before him, waiting for his brain to process all of what he'd just witnessed. Not only had the Witch dropped all pretense of her previously imposing demeanor, she'd also been absolutely doting upon a small Animal. An Animal that, Fiyero noted, had not seemed like an uncivilized beast at all, but rather like an incredibly furry child.

Dropping back onto the stone seat behind him, Fiyero wondered what all of this meant. From the moment he'd arrived, the Witch had been everything he'd anticipated her to be. She'd hit every note from every one of his nightmares, from the imposing aura of malice to the sinister cackle. He realized now that the performance had been almost a little bit too perfect. It was as though she'd known exactly what he'd expected of her, and she had delivered it.

Fiyero was becoming increasingly certain that what he'd witnessed in the past few minutes was the real woman underneath the mask. In the midst of the chaos, she hadn't had time to conceal her very real worry and confusion. Fiyero was unnerved by this. He didn't understand why she was so committed to playing the part of the Witch if she was capable of reason and emotion.

Some time passed, and then Fiyero started again as the boulder swung open and Witch re-entered, looking windswept and completely exhausted. She froze as she locked eyes with Fiyero, who was still sitting in the middle of her living space. He could tell she was trying to slip back into her more menacing persona, but she seemed too tired to manage it. Her face didn't quite hold the same overwhelming malice it had in their previous encounters.

He wondered yet again where this attempt at intimidation was coming from. Why had she not appealed to him with her better nature when they'd first met? And yet, even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew he would only have taken such behavior as trickery.

"Go back to your cavern," the Witch ordered. She was clearly trying to muster up a semblance of authority, but there was no force behind her words. Her voice was no longer the shrill one that Fiyero had become accustomed to. She sounded almost normal.

Fiyero found he couldn't move. It was as if his feet were cemented to the floor. He wanted answers. He wanted to understand what he was missing. The Witch's brow furrowed as he stood staring at her, and she appeared to grow annoyed by his defiance. She stood and began to make her way back towards her spell book. Fiyero realized what she was about to do and vaulted from his seat. He darted in front of the Witch and snapped the book closed, holding it just out of her reach. She glared at him with absolute murder in her eyes.

"Wait…Elphaba," Fiyero said, with no small amount of trepidation.

The Witch was clearly taken aback by Fiyero's use of her name. She froze in place, a look of obvious surprise written on her face, before she quickly recovered herself.

"That's not my name," she said, eyes narrowing into slits. The thought crossed Fiyero's mind that he should probably just back off, but he set his shoulders and met her gaze. He was suddenly very confident that she wasn't going to hurt him.

"That Cub sure seemed to think it was," he insisted.

"That's not my name," she repeated. Fiyero got the sense that she was trying to convince herself as well. "Perhaps it was once, but people certainly haven't called me by it in a very long time. I'm the Wicked Witch of the West now."

Fiyero stared at her hard for a moment and then asked, "Why are you doing that?"

The Witch seemed confused by the question. She continued to glare at him as she asked, "What are you on about now?"

"Why do you insist on making yourself out to be what everyone says you are? I saw the way you handled that Bear Cub just now. You didn't seem particularly wicked to me," Fiyero challenged.

The Witch seemed to be growing uncomfortable under Fiyero's steady gaze, though her stance did not falter. Her voice grew harsh as she replied, "I don't make myself out to be anything. They call me the Wicked Witch of the West, and so I am the Wicked Witch of the West. That's perfectly fine with me."

Fiyero looked at her carefully for a moment before responding, "No it's not…or you wouldn't be so unhappy."

Whatever the Witch had been expecting him to say, that clearly wasn't it. The surprise showed briefly on her face, before she tore her gaze from Fiyero's. She glanced down at the floor for a moment with an unreadable expression and when she glanced up, she had slipped back into her Witch persona.

"Go back to your cell" she demanded, pointing one long green finger toward the opening of the cavern across the room.

For a moment Fiyero considered just letting the whole matter drop. This woman clearly had some serious issues, and what consequence was it to him if she was really wicked or not? The fact remained that he wasn't getting out of here either way.

But for some strange reason, Fiyero just couldn't seem to leave it alone. Something was still nagging at him. Not understanding things had never bothered him before, yet Fiyero felt a distinct need to know why the Witch-or Elphaba, he supposed-acted this way.

Fiyero didn't budge. "You're not what everyone says you are," he said. It wasn't a question.

The fact that he was no longer obeying her orders seemed to be causing distress, rather than aggravation. "Why are you doing this? I captured and imprisoned you. Isn't that proof enough that I'm a dangerous criminal? Do I have to brutally murder you before you'll be satisfied?"

"I don't think you could," Fiyero replied with confidence. Then he backpedaled slightly, "From a moral standpoint I mean. I don't doubt that you could physically murder me if you wanted to."

Elphaba sank back onto the stone seat and dropped her face into her hands, looking defeated. The fact that he was comfortable enough to crack jokes around her seemed to be the last straw. "Please, just go back to your cell," she mumbled into her palms.

"What I don't understand is why you chose this life in the first place. Why do you harm innocent Ozians and defame the Wizard? What has anyone ever done to you?" he asked.

Elphaba was on her feet in seconds, looking livid. Her earlier exhaustion seemed completely forgotten, and Fiyero took an involuntary step backwards as the fire returned to her eyes. "What has anyone ever done to me? You don't know the first thing about me!" she spat. "I stood up for what I believed in, and the Wizard and Madame Morrible ruined my entire life. You think I chose this? You think I enjoy the fact that everyone in Oz hates me?"

Fiyero was so taken aback by the abrupt tirade that he was unsure of how to respond. He didn't know if he believed Elphaba's claims. The Wizard had always been a just ruler, and he wouldn't have called for the Wicked Witch's capture unless she'd given him a very good reason.

Fiyero couldn't keep the note of suspicion from his voice as he asked, "If everything they say about you is a lie, then why act the part?"

"What else would you suggest I do? People hated me even before the Wizard turned me into evil incarnate. Who's going to believe some green freak over their "benevolent" ruler? If I give people what they expect, at least they stay away from me," she huffed.

Fiyero was about to protest, but the words died in his throat. In all truth she was right. If she'd tried to speak with him like a normal person when he'd first arrived, he would have just thought it was a trick. Years of propaganda and conditioning were a lot to overcome.

"Okay, so say you're not the evil witch everyone makes you out to be," Fiyero started, ignoring how Elphaba's eyes narrowed. "Why would the Wizard lie about that? Surely he would rather have you on his side than make an enemy of you."

"The Wizard spreads lies because he's afraid of me," she answered without hesitation. Fiyero got the sense that she was relishing this opportunity to explain her predicament. He wondered fleetingly how long it had been since she had spoken to another human being. Elphaba went on, unable to keep the note of bitterness out of her voice, "He and Morrible wanted me to use my magic to help them do terrible things. They wanted me to help them suppress the Animals. I refused. In return, they ruined my credibility and turned all of Oz against me."

"So, this is about the Animals," Fiyero said. "The Wizard says that they're a dangerous group that needs to be suppressed. I have a feeling you're going to tell me that isn't the case."

Elphaba's eyes flashed. "The Wizard keeps his grip on Oz by spreading fear and lies. That's the reason he's been restricting Animal rights. He admitted it to me himself, when he still believed I was on his side. He told me that the best way to bring people together is to give them a common enemy. He started with the Animals, but I suppose the Wicked Witch of the West is his finest creation."

Fiyero still couldn't wrap his head around everything that Elphaba was telling him. He'd served under the Wizard for two years. The Wizard and Morrible had elevated Glinda to her current position. Fiyero had never had any reason to believe that the ruler of Oz had any ill intentions.

"I do believe that you're not as evil as everyone says you are," Fiyero said after some deliberation, "but you must be mistaken about the Wizard. He wouldn't oppress a group of innocents without reason. He must not know the truth about the Animals, or maybe they're not all as intelligent as you seem to think they are."

"The Wizard knows exactly what he's doing," Elphaba grumbled through gritted teeth. She looked Fiyero up and down for a moment as though deciding whether to continue. She seemed to decide there was no harm and said, "There's a large Animal refugee camp not far from here. It's why this hideout has been such a convenient location for me. The Wizard's goal has been to strip the Animals of their power of speech as well as their rights. I've been working with them to help preserve their knowledge and their ability to speak."

Fiyero still couldn't quite believe the things she was saying about the Wizard, but he decided not to argue the point further for the time being. Instead, he asked, "So was that Bear Cub one of the Animals you've been helping?"

If Elphaba noticed his attempt to redirect the conversation, she didn't acknowledge it. Instead, she nodded in response. "Yes, her name's Lorgen. She's one of the younger children at the camp. She was playing too close to a ravine, and she fell in and split her head on one of the rocks at the bottom. It was lucky that I happened to be nearby and was able to give her proper medical attention."

"You really care about these Animals, don't you?" Fiyero asked. Regardless of her beliefs about the Wizard, her dedication to her chosen cause was obvious.

"Yes well, Animals are a lot more understanding than most people in this world," she responded.

With that, Elphaba seemed to decide the conversation was over. She stood up from her place on the stone and glanced down at him. "Don't think that anything's changed. I've told you all of this because you pose no threat. You're still my prisoner."

It wasn't as though Fiyero had forgotten that fact, but it was still a bit disheartening to hear it affirmed. And yet, despite the grim reality of his predicament, he found that he suddenly needed to know if what Elphaba was telling him was true. Gathering the remnants of his courage, he asked, "Can I see them?"

Elphaba didn't seem to understand his question. "See what?"

"The Animals," he responded

Elphaba looked at him as if he were insane. "You must be joking. You can't think I'm that utterly clueless. What would stop you from running off back to the Emerald City the moment I allow you to set food outside of this cave?"

Fiyero stood up so that he was at her eye level and said, "Fine, then cast a spell on me so I can't leave. Do whatever you feel is necessary to ensure I don't escape."

Elphaba stared at Fiyero for what seemed like an eternity, looking him up and down as if trying to determine whether he was lying. He could see that the prospect of dispelling the prejudice in one of the Wizard's men was at war with her common sense. After a long stretch, she said, "Fine, but you will allow me to cast any spells on you that I deem necessary. You will obey any and all orders that I give you, and if you so much as think of harming the Animals, know that the consequences will be far less than pleasant."

She seemed satisfied when Fiyero nodded in affirmation. "Now get back to your cell," she said.

Fiyero didn't have to be told twice as he slipped into the separate section of the cave and heard the large boulder slide into place behind him.