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“Fae, are you alright?”
Fiyero was carefully watching his wife as he took a break from cooking their dinner. He was proving to be quite a natural in the kitchen, despite rarely cooking anything for himself throughout his life. As a prince, it was never expected, though his mother did insist on some basic skills. Mostly so he didn’t starve to death if he found himself on his own in his more reckless days. However, he had come a long way from occasionally cooking eggs and boiling pasta in his dorm suite. It had actually become his favorite activity once Elphaba was able to turn him human again, a few weeks after their arrival in Ev. They weren’t quite sure how flammable he was before that, whether her spell protected the burlap and straw from fire or if it would turn him to ash in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t worth the risk to try and figure it out, but once he could go near the oven safely he was determined to learn.
He found a unique kind of peace in making meals to nourish and heal their bodies. His had partially, but not completely, recovered from his torture after weeks in his scarecrow form. Hers was barely surviving after a year on the run, with little to no access to food on most days, and desperately needed sustenance once the constant adrenaline had worn off.
Unfortunately, there was no peace to be found in his daily ritual tonight.
“Fae?”
“Hm?” Elphaba looked up from her notes that were spread across their kitchen table. “Sorry, I’ve been focusing on this list of herbs we need to stock up on when we head into the village tomorrow. I’m fine, Yero.”
She gave Fiyero a small, brief smile before turning back to her work.
Fiyero frowned, as he slowly went back to the stove and the task at hand.
Elphaba had been quieter than usual the last week, and Fiyero couldn’t quite put his finger on the reason why. At first he thought she was just wrapped up in her most recent project: the second garden she created next to their vegetable patch. It was filled with plants with magical properties mostly for healing tonics, as well as other potions that worked more efficiently than spells in certain situations (he couldn't tell you which situations warranted one or the other, but she was the expert). She had been obsessively creating lists of their possible uses ever since they started to bud, and planning for which plants she’d grow in which seasons. But as the days continued she had only grown quieter; he could sense the tension in her body growing instead of easing over time. The way she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes when he asked about her day. The way she wouldn’t say good morning as she got out of bed, and wouldn’t say goodnight unless he said it first.
It had been about three months since they left the Vinkus to pursue a life outside of Oz. Two months since they settled down in their small cottage by the ocean, and one month since Fiyero’s transformation; returning him to his human form. The very next morning, after Fiyero’s impassioned proposal and argument that there was no reason to wait, they sought a local member of the clergy to marry them officially. It took Elphaba a few weeks to truly feel like she wouldn’t be caught by someone from Oz, to begin to unpack the stress and emotions of her year as a fugitive. How could it not? However, she almost never hid her thoughts or feelings from Fiyero; when she did, it would never take long for the truth to come out. In fact, once the dam broke, it felt as though she couldn’t stop herself from sharing everything that crossed her mind. No matter how dark, self-loathing, or downright irrational the thoughts may be, she knew she could place them safely in his hands.
Fiyero was incredibly thankful she felt comfortable opening up to him. As he learned even more about her history than she was willing to discuss back at Shiz, it broke Fiyero’s heart to realize just how much hardship she had experienced. Not only after she had fled the Emerald Palace, but her whole life.
While she had always hinted that her father was cold to her, he hadn’t realized how downright horrific his treatment of his eldest daughter was. It had infuriated him to hear that he blamed her for her mother‘s death and her sister‘s condition, but it had downright gutted him to realize that she believed him all these years. As the stories continued and he learned more about the abuse she suffered at his hands, he wished he could make his way back to Munchkinland to spit on his grave and destroy anything the man ever touched. It was inconceivable to him that anyone could treat her so badly, let alone everyone. This incredible woman deserved to know nothing but unconditional love for the rest of her days, to be given all the affection and care she had never experienced before. He couldn’t be more humbled and grateful to be the person brought into her life to fulfill that task.
Given all she had shared with him already, and how open she had become, it had begun to make him genuinely afraid to find out what she could be hiding from him. After all, it must be significant for her to feel like she couldn’t be forthcoming. He tried not to let his thoughts spiral, but it was becoming impossible. What could cause this? Was she sick? Was she unhappy? Was he not enough? Was she planning to escape and leave him behind?
No. Elphaba would never.
He knew that. He knew that.
So why was he so scared?
Fiyero knew he had to be mindful of how he approached the subject with her. If there was one thing that had not changed about her all these years, it was her tendency to react like a cornered animal when addressed too directly about things she wasn’t comfortable with. The last thing he wanted was for her to turn even further inward.
This wasn’t a simple task. As much as he himself had changed and matured in the time since they met, Fiyero also had some stubborn qualities that stuck around. One of which was his inability to stay patient for very long.
Eventually, he decided enough was enough. He needed to get down to the bottom of what was troubling his wife. He suggested making their dinner a late night picnic in the field next to their home, in the hopes that the cover of darkness would make her comfortable sharing whatever was plaguing her mind.
She agreed to the date without hesitation. He expected nothing less, he knew time together under the stars was always her favorite. It always reminded her of their time traveling the desert after leaving Oz, nothing to do but lie together and speak about any and everything: their memories, their regrets, the time when they wished for nothing more than to be together, and their dreams for the future now that they were.
He was counting on this being just what she needed to reveal her troubles.
Later that evening, after they finished their small dinner, they found themselves lying in the grass, silently enjoying each other’s company.
Well, somewhat silently.
“I can hear you thinking.”
“Thinking doesn’t make any sound.”
Fiyero looked down at her with an amused smile on his face. “Somehow it does when you do it. The cogs turning in your mind can actually be quite loud some days.”
“And this is one of those days?”
Fiyero smirked. “Still the smartest in any room, I see.”
Elphaba rolled her eyes fondly but didn’t say anything else.
“Fae.” Elphaba turned to face Fiyero and saw him staring at her, all traces of humor gone from his face, replaced with genuine concern. “It’s been a long time since you’ve hesitated to tell me what’s on your mind.”
Elphaba turned her gaze back to the stars. Although Fiyero was maintaining a calm exterior, she could practically feel the nervous buzzing under his skin. It wasn’t just panic she could sense in his body. It was fear. She suddenly felt guilty; her inability to find the words to share what was on her mind was causing this, and for what reason? She didn’t doubt for a moment that her news would be met with anything but absolute elation.
Well, maybe she did. Maybe that was the problem.
Maybe some part of her mind clung to the insecurities that plagued every minute of her life before them. Maybe, in a deep dark corner of her heart, where his sunlight and love still struggled to reach, she was afraid that this would make everything too real. That he loved her in spite of her skin, because he could make the choice to, and he had the ability to choose to leave just as easily. Maybe if the choice was taken away, if it was forced upon him, he would resent it. That it was different when it was his flesh and blood.
No. Fiyero would never.
She knew that. She knew that.
So why was she so scared?
But fear didn’t change her reality. Their reality. She had to tell him. It was unfair for her to deny him the truth, and even more unfair to have him spend even a moment longer suffering by waiting. To give him anything but the utmost trust in his commitment and love for her, when he spends every moment of his life proving himself true.
She took a deep breath in and she could feel him tense beside her. Breathing out, she finally spoke the words she had been keeping hidden in her chest, to Fiyero and the stars and the night sky.
“I’m pregnant.”
Fiyero stilled. After a moment (an hour, a day, a year? Elphaba couldn’t tell anymore) she felt him shift. He hadn’t said anything yet, but she could hear and feel the change in his breathing from her place in his arms.
“Yero… are you crying?”
“No.”
Elphaba smiled. “Are you sure?”
“Of course.” He took a controlled breath, but Elphaba wasn’t fooled. “I was a crown prince, you know. A future king.”
“Yes you were.”
“Future kings don’t cry. They’re notoriously manly.”
Elphaba snorted. “Somehow I don’t believe that. Your father never struck me as someone who thought he couldn’t cry, nor as someone who tried not to. And you’ve never struck me as someone close-minded enough to think men couldn’t cry.”
She could practically hear the pout on his face as he huffed a breath. “I could be close-minded if I wanted to.”
Despite her troubled thoughts, Elphaba couldn’t help but laugh at that. This ridiculous man. “No you couldn’t, and that’s a good thing. It’s part of why I know you’ll be such an amazing father.”
Fiyero’s breath hitched.
Elphaba closed her eyes as her smile grew soft.
“Yero?”
“Hm?”
“Are you crying?”
Fiyero let out a sob. “Yes.”
Elphaba propped herself up on her elbow and looked at her husband, and her heart warmed as she took in the sight of the tears streaming down his face. “Oh, love.” She cupped his face with her hand and he leaned into her touch, trying his best to get a hold of his emotions.
“I just…” Fiyero let out a deep sigh. “I spent so much time terrified that we’d never have this. A life together. A family. Every single night I would lie alone in my bed in that stupid palace and imagine it, but I always thought it was a pipe dream. Delusion, keeping me from drowning in that life, from losing myself to a future that felt inescapable. Dreaming of us was the only thing that kept me breathing most days. But I never thought it would really happen.”
Elphaba smiled sadly, “I know how you feel. I envisioned a life with you every single day, even though it brought far more pain than comfort. Especially after they announced -”
Fiyero brought her hand to his lips. “I know, Fae. But it was never real. And it didn’t happen. We’re here. We’re together.”
Elphaba laid her head on Fiyero’s chest. “We’re together.”
“You’re pregnant.”
She giggled at the awe she could hear in his voice. “I am.”
“Elphaba,” he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as he said the words, tears filling his eyes once more:
“We’re having a baby.”
Suddenly, her own eyes began to water. “Yes. Yes we are.”
He carefully turned them around so her back was on the grass, and he was holding himself above her. The look in his eyes took Elphaba’s breath away; she didn’t think she had ever seen such unadulterated joy in his face before. She briefly wondered if he had ever felt this much joy before.
“I love you so much.”
They said the words in the same breath, no longer able to contain their excitement and the rush of emotions that had filled them both. It finally hit them. This was it. Everything was forever changed. From this moment on, it wasn’t just them. It was them and their child. The start of their family.
Elphaba suddenly couldn’t fathom why she waited even a minute to tell him after discovering the truth for herself. The last of the doubts she had, the last of the whispers in her mind telling her he wouldn’t be happy, that he would leave, that he wouldn’t love the child they created together, had disintegrated. His unshakeable devotion was never as clear to her as it was in this moment. She knew whether this baby was green, tan, or purple with polka dots, he would dedicate every minute of his life to loving them. To loving both of them.
Fiyero, now completely shed of the fear and anguish from the last week, basked in the knowledge that they were going to be parents. For a moment, he pictured telling his own parents the news. King Armond and Queen Ismene had adored Elphaba from the moment they met her, just a few weeks after they began dating at Shiz, and a few days before she left for that fateful meeting with the Wizard. They were both completely devastated over the events of the previous year. Over the suffering the girl they quickly came to love as a daughter was being put through. Over the agony their son was experiencing in her absence, and his position in the Emerald City, as he went undercover in the Gale Force to try to find her and keep her safe. Neither of them believed any of the propaganda, and their loyalty to her and their son never wavered.
Not only did they know the true story behind it all, they also knew full well of his intention to escape with her at the earliest given opportunity. Much to Fiyero’s surprise, they encouraged it. Not because they didn’t want him to be king, or believed he couldn’t handle it; in fact, they thought he would be a wonderful ruler, especially with Elphaba by his side. They just couldn’t deny the reality of the situation. That his happiness would never lie with the throne, but with the green woman that stole his heart. They came up with a plan; his first cousin knew the truth and would take up the mantle as heir apparent if it came down to it. Fiyero knew he would do a wonderful job ruling the Vinkus when the time came. Though with any luck it was years away. His parents were young and healthy, well-loved by their people, and were expected to be on the throne for at least another decade or two.
He was thankful he managed to leave a note to his parents in the spot they agreed upon for any correspondence before escaping with Elphaba. Fiyero could rest easy with the knowledge that they knew he was alive; that any unnecessary stress caused by the news of his demise was brief.
Truthfully, he held out hope (and was sure his parents did too) that one day the people of Oz would be told the real story of the Wicked Witch and the Traitor Captain. That they would see the error of their ways and that he and Elphaba could return home. If that never came to pass, he knew he would have a full and happy life in their little cottage with their child and any others to come. However, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a little princess running around the castle, having her grandparents wrapped around her little finger. She had Elphaba’s hair and features but her eyes were his same shade of blue. The image in his mind was as clear and vivid as the woman in front of him now, and just as beautiful.
Fiyero gently laughed to himself; now that his impossible dream of a life with Elphaba had come true, it was replaced with a new one. But who knows, he smiled as the thought crossed his mind, stranger things had happened.
As a cool breeze surrounded all three of them, Fiyero and Elphaba closed their eyes and began to drift off in each other's arms. The truth was finally set free, and for the first time in possibly their entire lives, they felt nothing but bliss. It was the first night of their forever.