A/N: This chapter starts at a very high T. You have been warned -wink-
The weeks passed, and Fiyero's frustration at his slow healing was growing, as was the unrest from the citizens of Oz at the Wicked Witch of the West's actions.
Elphaba tried to placate her lover as her assignments became more dangerous and reckless, something she knew was Lysander's way of keeping control of her even now, even after Fiyero had argued with him about sending her out there. "Yero, please." She sighed. "I-"
"Fae, he's sending you out there knowing that you will wind up hurt. You can't tell me you were almost shot down and not expect me to worry about you!" Fiyero snapped. He'd known for years he could never tame her wild spirit, and would never dream of controlling her and refusing to allow her to do as she wished. That didn't mean that he didn't worry or feared what would happen to her while she was out there alone. And now... Now there were rumours that the little farm girl who had dropped her house on Nessa had now been sent to kill Elphaba too.
Elphaba sighed again and nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry." She dropped herself in his lap and curled her arms around his shoulders, smiling when he held her around the waist. "I love you."
"I love you too, Fae." He kissed her lightly. "Just... Please don't go out there tomorrow."
"He won't be able to send anyone else, Fiyero. I'm not sure if you've noticed, most of them are Animals."
"Then he should do his bit once in a while," he grumbled against her shoulder, and she laughed quietly.
"Yero my hero." She sighed gently, closing her eyes for a moment. "As soon as we can, we'll get out of here."
"When will that be?"
She reached over for her notebook and pen from her desk and scribbled a quick note. I have a plan. I need to find a way of getting the Animals out of here first.
"Take them to Quadling Country."
And then I need to find a way to destroy this place.
"Well... You have always had a soft spot for explosions and fire," he teased with a grin.
She shook her head with a laugh and tore the page out of the book. "Try and be serious, please."
"I am. And you're about to prove it to me." He commented.
"Shut up." She then muttered a spell to set fire to the piece of paper. It was what she did to every secret conversation they had.
He laughed and tightened his hold on her, sitting back in the chair and bringing her with him. "I'm not letting you go."
She smiled, cuddling with him. "I don't want you to." She closed her eyes when she felt the soft kisses against her neck and she tipped her head slightly with a soft moan in her throat.
He smirked at that and held her tighter to his body, his fingers gliding over the soft ruffles and layers of her dress until they reached the bodice that was tied far too tightly as it had to fit her far too thin frame.
"Fiyero, no." She told him gently as she came to her senses quickly, reaching behind her to move his hands away from the back of her dress. She had been too tired mentally to be able to perform the needed spells.
He looked up at that, as gently as she'd refused him, he still caught the shaking in her voice. Had she expected him to ignore her refusal? What exactly had she been through? "Fae...?"
"Don't ask me questions, Fiyero. You won't like the answers." She warned him before she turned her head and kissed him. "Please, just... I need you." She pleaded.
He groaned quietly. How could she irritate him with a warning and make him weak at her pleading in the same breath? "Oz, woman, you have no idea what you do to me," he told her with false frustration and gasped loudly when she moved quite deliberately in his lap and she straddled him.
"Oh, I think I have an idea." She smirked and kissed him once more.
He gripped her close and stood from the uncomfortable desk chair and stumbled over to her bed, sending them both crashing onto the mattress with a laugh from her. He grinned and kissed every part of her face and her neck, relishing in the giggles it brought forward and removed her hands from her face when she tried to stifle it. "No. I want you to laugh. It's my new favourite sound."
She rolled her eyes and blushed. "Fiyero." She tugged at his shirt.
"Elphaba." He grinned and sat up and quickly pulled it over his head.
She took the moment of distraction and flipped them over so that he lay beneath her.
"How come you still get to keep that heavy thing on?"
She ignored him and lowered her head to his chest and placed featherlight kisses to each of his diamond tattoos, smirking at the noises he was making. She gasped softly when his hand found its way under her skirt and she paused, looking at him.
He grinned at the wide-eyed look as his hand rose higher. "Feel free to stop me at any point, Fae."
She shook her head. "I..." She swallowed. "I don't want you to stop."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." She looked into his eyes, and he knew that for both of them the intention was clear. She kissed him again and shuddered with excitement when he finally touched her centre.
Fiyero had long since figured out with a twinge of jealousy that he had not been her first and quickly realised that he had no right to be. He hadn't claimed her as his when he should have done, but he couldn't help but scowl when Lysander sought to remind him of who exactly had taken his Fae's innocence. He hiked up the skirt and quickly flipped them over again, holding her beneath him once more with a grin. "Still time to say no, my love."
She shook her head with a smile, fingers fiddling with the belt buckle of his trousers. "I want this, Yero. I want you." She told him, and soon they became one.
Later, they lay together, curled up in her bed and he brushed his fingers through her hair gently.
She smiled sadly, thankful he couldn't see it and she idly traced the blue markings on his skin. She had begun to realise the differences between her experiences. With Fiyero, she always felt loved, her choices were considered, she was safe and she was never forced into anything.
With Lysander, it had been completely different. He always took what he wanted, whether she wanted to or not, and she never felt safe around him. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't felt safe since she left Glinda and Shiz forever. She had, on her own admission, slept with him out of obligation and she had begun a relationship with him out of necessity, he'd given her a place to stay and food to eat.
"You're thinking," Fiyero observed. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
She ignored him while she tried to gather her thoughts, pressing her lips into a thin, dark line.
"Fae?" he stopped mid-stroke and looked down at her.
"Nothing." She told him at last. "It doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters."
"Fiyero, please. Leave it. I don't want to talk about this." She pushed herself up and left the bed.
"Why not? Was it something I did? Or didn't do?" he sat up, watching her pace the room. She was beginning to feel trapped and he knew it.
"No... No, Yero, you were perfect. Far more than I deserve." She sighed, not realising what she'd said.
"What? Elphaba, no." He jumped up, allowing the sheet to fall from his naked body and he crossed the room to her, stopping her. "Fae, that's exactly how it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be good for both people involved. My darling girl... What happened to you?"
"Don't push it, Fiyero. I told you I -"
"Elphaba, did you sleep with me because you thought it was what you had to do? Is that what you've been doing the whole time you've been gone?"
She froze for a moment with a glare and then she acted. She didn't know what made her snap, but she had slapped him before she could stop herself. She froze again, her eyes wide and regretful and filled with unshed tears, then she turned and bolted for the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
Fiyero glared at the door and put his clothes back on, trying to ignore the sudden rush of anger at the slap and at her whole situation. "Come and find me when you're ready to talk." He spoke clearly, unlocking the bedroom door and walked out, closing it quietly behind him.
Elphaba slid down the door, sinking to her knees and she curled herself as small as she could manage and she sobbed quietly. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... She repeated to herself over and over again inside her head.
"I told you he wouldn't want anything to do with you," Lysander smirked when he saw her come out for dinner a few hours later, seeing her look defeated and trying to clear up any evidence that she had been crying.
Elphaba wisely held her tongue and sat down between a Cat and Brennan, though her gut twisted painfully and her heart broke even more. She looked up as Maniah entered the dining room, presumably to take dinner to Fiyero, but the Fox gave her no indications. Of course, he's right... Fiyero will come to his senses soon enough. She thought. Thank Oz he never saw the scars... She remained quiet and only ate a small amount of food, and then she got up to leave the room, ignoring Lysander when he called after her. Her feet felt heavy as they carried her to Fiyero's room and she knocked on the door, waiting nervously.
Fiyero left his empty plate on the desk and walked to the door, throwing it open, ready with a remark and he stopped himself upon seeing her face. His heart constricted when he saw the heartbroken look through the flimsy mask of indifference that she was trying to keep up and the tears in her eyes, he dragged her into a tight hug and she lost all composure.
She clung to him as she burst into tears again and she buried her head into his chest. She flinched when she heard the door slam and held him tighter.
"I'm sorry, Fae..." He whispered in her ear. He realised immediately that he hated to see her crying and he kissed her head, the sounds of her sobs tore at his heart. He closed his eyes and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her, and he stayed there with her until she eventually calmed down.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry..."
"Fae, no," he told her gently. "I shouldn't have said what I did." He lifted her head and kissed her nose. "I just want to help you."
She shook her head. "You can't..."
"Why not?"
"Because the past doesn't matter."
He sighed and shook his head, resting his forehead against hers. "Of course, it matters... It's affecting you now, it's hurting you now."
"I don't want to talk about it... Please?"
He paused and nodded. He wouldn't push her now. "Alright... But I'm here if you change your mind."
She didn't change her mind and the subject matter was closed. Instead, she threw herself into planning her escape and a way to get her friends out of the base, she had decided it was time to stop her reckless behaviour, she knew she was never going to win against the Wizard. She sat at his desk, scribbling away furiously on some paper she found.
"Where exactly are we?" he asked, leaning against the wall.
"Somewhere in the depths of the Great Gilikin Forest. Why?"
"I was just thinking... Kiamo Ko is about... two days walk from the edge of the forest. We've only really stayed there in the summers and when we've held events there."
She looked over her shoulder at him curiously.
"We can send your friends south and we can head West," he suggested. "We would be safe there. It would need a bit of a makeover...but anything has to be better than here, always looking over your shoulder and being sent out to places you don't want to go."
She sighed and nodded. "I guess so..." she looked back at what she had written down and rubbed her eyes which had begun to sting with fatigue and she sat back in the chair. "I just... I know it has to end. I know that I can't keep going like this... Where does it end? It seems that no matter how many Animals I save, there are hundreds more being captured... He got what he wanted, he's beaten me."
"He hasn't. Fae just because you realise that you can't keep going, and you can't protect everyone, that doesn't mean he's beat you. You're just one woman. A very beautiful woman, I must add." he grinned at her blushing.
"You're incorrigible." she smiled fondly.
"It's all true." he pecked her lips quickly. "And I get to call you mine."
She nodded and stared out of the window into the woodland beyond. "Are you sure that Kiamo Ko will be safe?"
"One hundred per cent," he told her. "My family don't use it. Nobody would disturb us."
"Can we go there tonight? It would mean flying though..."
He nodded and kissed her head, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Whatever you wish." he grinned.
She smiled at him over her shoulder and kissed his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too." he let her go when she stood up. He brushed her hair out of her face, freezing for a moment when she flinched at the contact. "Fae?"
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she told him. "It doesn't matter right now."
He shook his head and dropped his hand, walking away from her to the other side of the room.
"I'll... I'm just going to change," she spoke softly and ran out, and straight into Lysander.
The older male glared darkly at her and dragged her to his room, ignoring her struggling and he threw her to the floor. "You're not going anywhere tonight, Thropp." He growled menacingly as he loomed over her.
"N-no... Lysander, please... please don't do this..." she shuffled away from him and struggled to her feet, she cried out when he slapped her hard across the face.
"Silence, witch."
She bit her lip as she tried to summon an ounce of courage, a modicum of her magic within her, his words sparking something inside her. "You're right... I am a witch." She spoke after a moment, her power gathering inside of her. No, she knew she could leave, knew she had somewhere safe to escape to and as long as Fiyero was by her side, she would be safe and she would be protected. Her lips curved into a smirk and she whispered a simple spell that froze him into place. "I will get out of here, Lysander. And when I do, you will not hurt me again." she turned on her heel and walked out, heading to her bedroom to pack a small bag of her belongings, grabbed her broom and then she made her way back to Fiyero.
"What's that?"
"Just a few things I want to take with me." she smiled.
He grinned and nodded. "Fine by me. We'll make it our home." he picked her up and spun her around. Unfortunately for her, being up close meant he spotted the handprint mark on her face and he stopped. "Fae? Who gave that to you?"
"Nobody... I hit myself with the door."
"Don't lie to me. Who hurt you?"
She shook her head. "Fine...but I'm not telling you here..."
"It was him, wasn't it. That asshole leader of this whole thing!" Fiyero glared.
"Yero, please. You can't do anything, I have this whole thing under control." She was in front of him, her hands on his face, softly caressing his skin. "Please... Please, my love, don't do anything rash..."
"He hit you, Fae! No man should ever do that!"
Oh, trust me, he's done more than hit me. She thought bitterly and shook her head, looking up at him. "I know. I know, gentle heart, but it's the last time. I promise you, it's the last time he does it. I'll make sure of it."
It took a while to coax him out of his anger, but soon after, they had taken to the skies, leaping from his bedroom window on to the broom and she took off into the sunset, heading west. Half an hour later, they arrived at Kiamo Ko, touching down at the doors of the old fortress.
"Well... At least it still has a roof," she spoke dryly, eliciting a laugh from the man beside her.
"It's not that bad! C'mon," he took her by the hand and lead her inside. "It just... needs a bit of TLC... I can get started on the repairs while you find a place for your friends to go."
She raised an eyebrow and said nothing as he continued to give her a tour of the castle that was to be their new home.
"Actually... I have something to show you." He lead her up to the highest tower. "Look out that window."
Elphaba looked confused for a moment before slowly making her way to the window he pointed at, and she gasped softly, the view of the Emerald City could be seen in the distance.
He grinned. "Now go to the other one."
Tentatively she walked to the other side of the tower, staring out at the vast mountains and open land. She jumped a little when she felt his arms around her.
"You can't really see it from here... But just past the horizon is where I grew up. Whinchester has always been home for me."
She smiled softly. "Home... Home for me was Shiz. With you and... w-with Glinda..."
He held her tighter. "You'll make up. I'm sure of it."
"How can you be sure? Yero, we betrayed her in the worst possible way."
"Because I know you both. You love each other too much to depart this world without forgiving each other. Even if she doesn't forgive me, I can live with that, because I knew I didn't love her and I stayed with her all the same."
She sighed.
"I was going to tell you. The day you left... I... I had this whole speech prepared and... and the poppies... And then I saw you. Oz, you looked so happy, so calm, so peaceful. I couldn't ruin that for you. So I decided to wait until you come back. Only..."
"I didn't..."
He nodded.
"What would you have said to me that day?"
"You'll laugh at me."
"I won't. I promise."
"I would have... I would have told you the truth, that I loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, and that I was lucky to be considered your friend. I would have told you that you're beautiful and that I would do anything for you. I would have asked you to give me a chance to prove myself to you, to give us a chance, and I promise never to hurt you." He told her. "I think about that lion cub every day, what would become of us now if I hadn't got scared by my own feelings and ran for it? Where would we be now?"
Elphaba smiled softly as she listened to him, and finally, she turned in his arms to face him. "We wouldn't be making up for lost time." She told him quietly. "I probably wouldn't be here now. Or maybe I would. I don't know. It's too late for maybes, my pretty. There is a future for us, I'm not entirely sure what that future is, but whatever it is... As long as I'm with you, I'm home."
He kissed her and spun her around again, her laugh ringing through the tower. "I love you." He told her honestly.
"I love you too."
Eventually, he showed her to one of the bedrooms, she lit the torches with her magic along the way. She walked inside with trepidation and looked around her. "Yero...?"
"This was my room." He told her, taking her bag and started unpacking the little clothes she had. "And now it's ours."
She shook her head slightly, watching him hang the dresses in the closet. She did eventually laugh when he dragged her over to the bed and they fell into the soft mattress together. She looked up at him coyly.
"Fae, when I said ours, I meant it," he smirked as he hovered over her and kissed her. "No more making up for the time we lost." He kissed the mark on her cheek, and then her nose, and every inch of green skin he could find, making her laugh again, making her forget the traumas of her past.
"And what if your family disapprove?" she turned on her side as he lay beside her.
"Then they'll just have to get over it." he shook his head. "Truthfully, I can't see them not liking you. They knew about you, right from the start. My sisters even asked me why I was with Glinda. My older brother couldn't care less. "
"How many sisters do you have?"
"Four... one older, the rest are younger," he told her.
"I have an older brother," she commented. "I haven't seen Shell for almost ten years..."
"Oz... I can't imagine not seeing any of my sisters for that long, or...As irritating as he is...my brother. Has he written to you?"
"Yero, if they fully support the Wizard, you might never see them again," she told him and shook her head. "Not since I left Shiz... last I heard he was in Ix."
"That bastard can't touch these lands. He has no claims over any of the tribes. The Arjiki are a peaceful people, it's tribes like the Scrows and Ugabu that give the Vinkus its uncivilized title."
She looked up at him. "I don't know how anyone could dislike this place. I think it's beautiful."
He grinned. "One of these days, I'll show you more."
She nodded with a smile. "I think I'd like that."
"And then if you wanted, I could take you to meet my family. And one day we can look for your brother."
She nodded again, looking at him. "Alright."
He rested his hand on her hip and kissed her lightly. "Are you sure you're alright?"
She sighed softly, toying with the duvet absentmindedly. "I'm just... learning to process a few things."
He nodded. "Is that the first time he hit you?"
"Yeah." she lied. "It was a heat of the moment thing. But I can promise you that it won't happen again."
He nodded once more. "For his own sake, it had better not."
She smiled. "You know I can look after myself, don't you?"
"Yes, but I want to look after you too." he grinned.
"Hm... I think I can handle that." she giggled quietly. To her surprise, she found she wasn't lying. She loved him, loved being loved and being in love, and for once, didn't mind letting him stand up for her if and when the time came for it, and with that feeling came the guilt that she hadn't been fully honest with him about her past. She shook herself out of her thoughts and sat up on the bed.
"Fae?"
"I'm just tired." she lied again. "Maybe we should be getting back."
"Or we could stay here for tonight?"
"We didn't bring any of your medication for your pain." she reminded him. She found she no longer needed her own, much to her relief. "And what will we do for food?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm pretty sure you could make your own. And as for food, I'm a hunter, Elphaba. This is my homeland, I know a few things about feeding myself." He smirked and laughed when she hit him on his chest. "Come on, you practically handed me that one."
She rolled her eyes with a laugh of her own and shook her head. "Shut up."
He laughed again and drew her close. "Stay here tonight. We can go back tomorrow and act like nothing happened if you like."
She hummed a response and curled herself against him, wrapping her arms around him and she closed her eyes. "Terrible influence." she scolded in false seriousness. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep in his arms.
"And you're clearly more exhausted than you let on." he murmured, pressing a kiss to her head. He watched her sleep for a little while before he got off the bed, being careful not to wake her up and he left the room, walking around the castle alone to familiarize himself with the corridors and rooms once more.
Each room he encountered required an improvement of some form, and he smiled to himself, already envisioning what he wanted to do. As a child, the castle always freaked him out, even now as an adult the feelings of dread were still there, but it didn't seem so bad anymore.
The young couple returned to the base the following morning, only to be caught by Brennan, who looked to be searching for something.
"There you are! Where did you go? We've been looking for you."
Elphaba smiled softly up at Fiyero before she looked back at the Bear. "We went flying and we had to sort something out. Why? What happened?"
"Lysander went to look for you and he couldn't find you. He's had us searching all night We even sent Chistery out."
At the mention of his name, Fiyero automatically held her a little tighter with a quiet growl in his throat.
The Bear gave her a questioning look, to which she shook her head. "Come on, we can go inside," he told them. He walked ahead of them.
"I don't want to," Fiyero muttered.
"I know, but it's only for a little while." she kissed his cheek and followed the Bear, pulling him with her. She was stopped by a wall of fur as Maniah threw herself at her in a hug.
"Oh, thank Oz! We thought something had happened to you!"
Elphaba quickly let go of his hand to hug the Fox tightly. "I'm sorry... I didn't want to worry anyone."
"Lysander might not care much, " she started in a quiet whisper before talking a little louder. "We love you, Miss Fae, you've helped us and saved us over the years, we only want you to be safe."
Fiyero watched in awe as the rest of the Animals gathered around them, each agreeing with Maniah's sentiment and he smiled. He recognized a few of them from previous camps he had once been sent to guard, and he had set them free. He knew why Elphaba had done what she had done over the years, to see it before him now was overwhelming.
"I am safe." Elphaba smiled, looking over at Fiyero. "More so now than I was before. I have a plan, but I can't say anything right now."
A Bird on her shoulder nodded and chirped in her ear.
"Thropp!"
She flinched at the voice, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. On went the mask and she pushed through the crowd to Lysander, quickly losing sight of Fiyero and she looked at him with a slight raise of her brow. "Yes?"
"With me. Now."
She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and she followed him into an office, where he slammed the door and locked it.
"Where were you?"
"Out." she started as if it were obvious, trying to ignore him circling her slowly.
"Thropp, the Wizard is raising the stakes against you. The child that dropped in from that tornado is set to kill you."
Elphaba scoffed and laughed. "Oh, but she's a child! A pest who needs to be dealt with for taking a dead woman's shoes! She'll not hurt me."
"She would if it came from Glinda the Good. She'll believe anything the Wizard's puppet tells her."
She tensed and forced herself not to glare. Glinda would never... "Yes, well, Glinda was always good with children. I tend to scare them on sight." She held back a laugh at a particular memory of a time back at Shiz where she had been dragged out shopping by her best friend, and she had deliberately scared a group of children who were pointing and laughing at her, and she simply cackled when Glinda scolded her.
Lysander scowled and gripped her throat, towering over her. "This is not a game, Thropp. Being reckless will cost you your life."
She slapped him and brought her knee up to his groin, he released her as he dropped to the floor. "And you will not put your hands on me again."
"I will end you." he threatened her, glaring.
"You don't scare me anymore, " she told him and she turned on her heel to leave the room. She paused, looking over her shoulder. "You know... I think I could have grown to love you once. I trusted you with things I hadn't told anybody else, and you turned it on me."
He slowly got to his feet and advanced on her.
She rolled her eyes at him and unlocked the door. "Pathetic." she sighed and she walked out before he could grab at her. As she walked she muttered the spell to cover the potential mark on her neck and she walked outside and wandered through the forest. She stopped when she heard the rustling of leaves and she looked around. "Hello?"
She raised her hands in defence as a shiver ran up and down her spine and she glared. "Show yourself!" She spat and sent a ball of fire in the direction of the rustling.
A squeal came from the bushes and a figure leapt out to safety, shaking perfect blonde ringlets and brushing her mint green gown free of dirt.
"Glinda! What the fu-" Elphaba screeched and looked behind her, seeing them both alone, she turned back to her friend.
"Elphie!" Glinda gasped.
They stood, staring at one another for a clock tick before they rushed to each other and hugged each other tightly.
"Elphie!" Glinda spoke again and kissed her friend's cheek, looking up at her. "Oh, thank Oz you're safe... And... a-and Fiyero...?"
Elphaba blinked rapidly, trying to calm her racing mind. "Uh... what about him?"
"I... well...I heard that he was..."
The penny dropped and she shook her head. "No, I managed to save him. Glinda, you really shouldn't be here... I'm told you sent a girl to kill me..."
"What? Oh, Elphie, that's not true! I sent her to the Emerald City. It's the Wizard who wants her to..."
She didn't know why, but she was almost floored by the feeling of relief in the knowledge that her best friend wouldn't hurt her that way, despite everything she had done to her. "I'm sorry, Glinda... for everything... I'm sorry."
"Shh... Elphie, don't be sorry. You did nothing wrong... You can't help who you fall in love with, and I can see why you did. I knew it for a long time that his heart was somewhere else, I just... had no idea where. I'm glad it's you, Elphie." Glinda hugged her again.
"You have to go, Glin... You can't be seen here."
"I'm going to try and stop this madness. It's gone on for far too long."
Elphaba tilted her head in confusion. "Glin...?"
"Never mind... Leave it with me." she let her go. "We'll see each other again. Give my love to Fifi!" she giggled and dashed away into the trees again.
Elphaba shook her head. "I... w..." she sighed and made her way back to the base.
Hours later, Lysander had to meet with their connections, he had told Elphaba she was no longer needed for the night. Elphaba had gathered her Animal friends to tell them about her plan. "I understand if you want to stay... But I don't think it's safe for us to be here anymore." she started as Chistery flew into the room and landed at her back, staring reproachfully at Fiyero's arm around her. The green woman gave him a smile and gently patted his shoulder, and the Monkey sat at her feet.
"What makes you say that Miss Fae?" a Lioness questioned.
She scoffed in her direction. "Really? You think I haven't heard how he treats certain Animals here because they've spoken out against something they disagree with? Or when you stepped in to help me once? And the fact he's threatened to shoot Chistery down?"
Chistery screeched at that and was soothed into silence by his mistress's pat on the head.
"So... Fiyero and I have come up with a plan. I know somewhere... a quiet little town in the Quadling Country where I grew up. You can leave and head there soon if you wish to, you'll be safe there."
"And where will you go?" a Kitten asked in a sad tone.
"I want to take her home with me and she can meet my family." Fiyero smiled. "She'll be safe with me. And she will be able to look for her brother if she wanted to."
Elphaba looked up at him with a smile of her own. "I can start taking a few of you out at a time like I used to."
"There's no way Lysander will let that happen." Maniah reminded her.
"Who says he has to know? I am the only one with magic here if I said I was ambushed and a few at a time were captured... how is he to know?"
"Until he starts supervising your trips out."
"I'm hoping by that point there won't be many of you left and whoever is left can make a run for it."
"Or we could all run for it now." Fiyero shrugged, and his love shook her head.
"Too dangerous."
"Fae, it will be dangerous anyway. There's a child on her way to end you, most probably armed with a lie about water melting you."
She laughed at that. "Yes, I had heard that ridiculous rumour." She sighed and looked back at her friends. "What would you suggest?" She asked, noticing a few of them backing away from Fiyero's view and she sighed. "Alright, what's going on?"
"How do we know he won't go running to his men and tell them where we are? This is his idea isn't it?" A Sheep queried.
The couple shared a look, and Elphaba nodded at him. "Go ahead."
Fiyero cleared his throat a little and stood up to address the gathering. "I realise that a few of you recognise me from being outside some of those camps out there. And... Yeah, I was part of the Gale Force, but I only did it with one goal in mind... To help and protect Elphaba from the inside, and if I got the chance to even catch a glimpse of her again, I'd have been happy with it. We didn't... we didn't plan on leaving together, that was purely me being near her again, being able to tell her how I felt, I never imagined she would feel the same way. But what you few are forgetting is that I let you out of those pens. I may have guarded them, but because of that, I knew when I'd be checked upon. All I had to do was pretend I was asleep when someone else came to relieve me of my post the following morning."
"I also knew Fiyero because we went to college together. He was... still is, I suppose, one of my best friends, as well as my... Well, we haven't discussed that far yet but he means everything to me, and I trust him." Elphaba spoke up from her chair.
He turned to face her with a grin on his face and grabbed her hand, dragging her to her feet. "Well, I can change that now, if you like." He told her with a mischevious glint in his bright blue eyes and started to lower to his knees.
"Fiyero Tiggular, get up right now!" She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at him with a smirk on her face.
"Nope." He laughed.
"Get up before I... I turn you into a scarecrow!"
He shook his head again. "Elphaba Thropp, will you do me the greatest honour in being my girlfriend?" He grinned.
She rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at him. "Yes, you idiot, now get up!" She hid her face in her hands, knowing she was blushing.
He jumped back to his feet as the gathering chattered and a few 'aww's rippled among them, he gently pulled her hands from her face and kissed her.
"I will kill you myself," she grumbled quietly.
He laughed and held her close, everyone else in the room was forgotten. "I love you too."
"Just... Don't tell Glinda you did that... It would give her marriage ideas."
He shuddered. "No thanks, I've had enough surprise engagements to last me a lifetime. Besides, we have all the time in the world for that." He grinned and kissed her again. "Come on. Let's go to bed. I don't want to share you for a moment longer."
She giggled quietly and nodded. "Okay."