"Woah!"
"Hey, let me help you with that!"
Fiyero grabbed onto one half of a teetering supply crate just before the Gazelle on the other end of it toppled over. Once they'd stabilized, he helped her gently guide the stack of heavy boxes onto the ground.
Sentra let out a sigh of relief and then turned to face him. "Thank you, Fiyero. I seem to have overestimated myself for a moment there."
Fiyero simply flashed her one of his winning smiles as he popped the lid off the crate to reveal the impressive stock of canned and dry goods housed within. Sentra took in the contents with a look of awe for a moment, then met Fiyero's gaze with a matching smile.
"We really can't thank you enough for all your help. The extra aid from the Vinkus and the Emerald City has been invaluable," she said breathlessly.
"Hey, don't thank me," he said with a wave of his hand. "You know as well as I do that this is all Elphaba's doing."
Sentra gave him a knowing look but didn't press the issue further. The two began to unload the crates in amiable silence for a few minutes, before Fiyero said, "Speaking of Elphaba, have you seen her around yet?"
Sentra glanced up from her work with a thoughtful expression and responded, "I think I may have seen her a little while ago over by the medical tent."
Fiyero nodded his thanks and then, seeing that the Gazelle had the rest of the restocking under control, stepped outside into the afternoon sunlight. The tents of the Animal camp rippled slightly in the breeze as he stretched and took stock of the world around him. He could scarcely believe that it had been almost a year since he'd first set foot in this very settlement; almost a year since his entire world had been completely turned on its head.
Not wanting to spend too long lost in his musings, Fiyero turned and started towards the medical tent. Elphaba had wanted to stop off at Filo's camp before meeting up with him here. The Lion, Doctor Dillamond, and a number of the other Animal prisoners from the Emerald City had taken up residence there after their liberation from the palace dungeons. The larger camp had more teachers and a better variety of learning materials, and they'd volunteered to provide the intensive rehabilitation needed by some of the Animals who'd had longer periods of incarceration. The Lion, for his part, seemed to have decided there was safety in numbers after his capture, and was doing his best to get along with his kinsmen for the time being.
The plan had originally been to relocate all of the Animal camps to the Vinkus, but Glinda's new position of power in the Emerald City and the beginning of her plans to dismantle the Wizard's Animal Rights bans had meant that was no longer necessary. Instead, Elphaba and Fiyero delivered monthly packages of supplies – food, clothing, books - whatever they could collect in donations from Oz's more sympathetic citizens or spare from surplus without alerting suspicion. Eventually they hoped to be able to integrate the Animal population back into normal society and dismantle the camps altogether, but Ozian sentiment took time to change, and that type of acceptance was still far in the future.
Fiyero turned a corner, lost in thought, and was startled when he was nearly bowled over with a cry of, "Mister Fiyero!" He managed to catch his footing at the last second before he and a somewhat over-eager Bear Cub both toppled to the ground.
"Hello, Lorgen," he said with a breathless chuckle as he righted himself. The Cub had grown a substantial amount since their initial meeting and now stood almost as tall as Fiyero. She seemed sheepish at having forgotten her own strength when she'd crashed into him.
"Is Miss Elphaba here yet?" she asked eagerly, eyes darting behind Fiyero as though trying to answer the question for herself.
"Not sure," he answered. "I was just on my way to check."
"Oh, okay," she said, bouncing on her heels. She still seemed so overeager that Fiyero couldn't help but smile. "But you have to tell me after you find her!"
"You'll be the first to know," Fiyero promised. This seemed to appease the Cub, who nodded and then bounded back down the row of tents behind him.
Fiyero continued to make his way through the camp, exchanging a few smiles and waves with other Animals who were busy unloading the latest aid shipment. It was a far cry from the suspicious glares he'd received when he'd first set foot in town, but he supposed he'd more than proven himself an ally in the eyes of the Animals by now. The more casual greetings he received at the camps also made a nice change from the bows and salutes he'd become accustomed to since returning home to the Vinkus.
After the Wizard's departure, Fiyero, Glinda, and Elphaba had found themselves with very little time to figure out their immediate course of action. Glinda was already poised to take up the mantle of ruler of the Emerald City, a fact that did not surprise Fiyero in the least, but which Elphaba still seemed to be in shock about. The arrival of supporting forces from Munchkinland and the Vinkus had only cemented her claim. If there were any dissenters among the Gale Force that opposed Glinda's rule, they had quickly become vastly outnumbered.
Elphaba's own plans had been uncertain. Glinda couldn't exactly begin to clear her name immediately, not without significant backlash or those accusations of bewitching that Fiyero had grown so fond of. Instead, Fiyero had invited her to join him back in the Vinkus, to continue the work they'd set out to start. They were in a better position to begin dismantling the Wizard's regime than they ever would have dreamed, and Fiyero's parents had already extended the invitation for Elphaba to stay with them.
Instead of trying to clear her name outright, Elphaba would work quietly from the Vinkus for now – just visible enough that people knew where she was, but out of public consciousness to the point where her notoriety could begin to fade. They hoped that, in time, Glinda would be able to claim to have rehabilitated Elphaba in the same way the Wizard had once promised to, except with the obvious lack of ulterior motive.
In the meantime, there was plenty of work to be done, but Fiyero had something else on his mind in the immediate future. He spotted a familiar flash of green skin emerging from the medical tent and promptly snuck up behind Elphaba to snatch her and spin her off her feet.
"Fiyero! What in Oz's name?" she shrieked, batting at his arms. He set her back on her feet with a laugh and swooped in for a quick peck on the lips to silence any further protests.
Rather than appearing annoyed by his behavior, Elphaba seemed thoroughly confused. "What's gotten into you?" she asked with one eyebrow raised as she readjusted her signature pointed hat.
"Are you free right now?" Fiyero asked, ignoring the question.
"I suppose so," she answered skeptically. "Though there's still plenty of unloading that needs to be done."
"We can get to it later," Fiyero said dismissively, taking one of her hands. "Come with me?"
"Am I going to deeply regret this?" Elphaba asked with an exasperated sigh, though she was clearly smiling.
"Highly unlikely," Fiyero said immediately, already tugging her along towards the edge of the camp.
"Fine," Elphaba said begrudgingly, "let's get on with whatever this is then."
Fiyero only smiled at that and began to pull Elphaba along with renewed determination. They passed out of the camp and onto a familiar path that Elphaba clearly recognized, if the furtive looks she was shooting in his direction were any indication, but Fiyero kept his gaze focused pointedly ahead.
It took only about ten minutes before they entered a familiar clearing; one they hadn't revisited together since Elphaba had fled from Gale Force capture months ago. Predictably, Elphaba stopped walking as they crested the top of the hill and turned to face him. "Fiyero, what-"
Already anticipating her protests, Fiyero cut her off. "Just come on. Trust me?" he entreated her, and it seemed enough to quiet her protests for the time being.
They made their way into the dark confines of the familiar cave that led to Elphaba's former hideout, footsteps careful in the dark now that they were no longer accustomed to it. Before long, they passed the large boulder that marked the entrance to the passage, and Fiyero stopped in front of it to motion Elphaba ahead. He couldn't make out her expression as she stepped past him and into the cave, but he could certainly imagine it.
Fiyero swept past Elphaba and pulled a box of matches from his pocket. In a series of smooth motions, he lit a match and then used it to ignite a series of simple wax candles that had been conveniently positioned around the room. In the dim glow, he could suddenly make out the irritation painted over Elphaba's features.
"Fiyero, I swear, if you don't tell me what you're up to-"
Her words were cut short as Fiyero dropped to one knee in front of her.
"Elphaba," he began, noting with only the tiniest amount of smugness that he'd managed to render her speechless for once, "ever since the day we met, I knew you were different."
Even through her very apparent shock, Elphaba still had the presence of mind to shoot him a look of pure skepticism.
"Okay, so maybe not from the day we met," he amended with a small smile, "but very soon after that. I'd been lost for so long and I didn't even know it. My life had no purpose, no direction. I thought I was content to float through it doing only what was expected of me, but then I ran directly into you."
Fiyero paused for a moment to glance up at Elphaba's face. She was watching him expectantly now, so he continued, "You have changed me for the better in every possible way. You've given me a cause to fight for, the courage to take my rightful place on the throne, and the type of love I quite honestly didn't believe was possible. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I have enough sense to realize what I have. So, Elphaba Thropp, will you do me the absolute honor of marrying me?"
With that, Fiyero removed a small box from his back pocket and snapped it open. Inside was a simple silver band with a small blue diamond set in the center. He'd had the distinct impression that Elphaba wouldn't want anything flashy, and Glinda had been all too excited to help him pick something that suited her taste.
Elphaba didn't say anything immediately. Instead, she took Fiyero's hands and gently helped him back to his feet, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She took all of it in for a moment – the sincerity on his face, the ring in his hand – and then said, "Fiyero, you're one of the best men I've ever had the fortune to meet. I truly can't even begin to express how much your love and support have meant to me, but I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life trying to show you.
Fiyero could feel the tears beginning to pool in his own eyes now, but he still managed a cheeky smile as he asked, "So, is that a yes?"
Elphaba batted him lightly on the shoulder with a small laugh, before she took his hands again and said, "Yes. Of course it's a yes."
Suddenly overcome with joy, Fiyero swept Elphaba into his arms and pulled her against him in a euphoric kiss. He could feel the salt of the tears on their cheeks mingling as he held her close, secure in the realization that he'd never have to let her go again.
Maybe their story wasn't one out of a fairy tale, and maybe they'd had a rockier journey than most, but it looked like, against all odds, they'd found their way to 'Happily Ever After' in the end.
Okay, so there you have it! I was conflicted about whether I was going to go full cheesiness at the end here, but as you can see I decided to just give in and go for it. I can't even explain how much it means to me to have finally finished this story. I started it so many years ago and I didn't know if I'd ever have the stamina to pick it back up and give it an ending, but here we finally are. Thank you so much to anyone who read this and left a review. I've had a really fun time writing this story, and it's so great to know that there are people out there enjoying it. Until next time!