Chapter Text
Fiyero left Glinda behind a pillar for protection from the rampaging animals and panicked wedding guests, then moved quickly through the ruined wedding hall towards the Wizard's private rooms. Feeling both relief that the ceremony had been disrupted and guilt for feeling so, he was dismayed when he noticed that several of the Gale Force were following along. The strange presence...Elphaba?...occupying his mind got stronger with every step he took; he was torn between desperately hoping that she was actually there with the Wizard, and fear for her that she was.
He and the other Gale Force reached the top of the staircase that led into the Wizard's workshop and saw the Wizard pinned against the wall; Elphaba's broom was across his neck . As they entered the room, he heard Elphaba ask the Wizard how it felt to be voiceless.
Though he hated that he had to do it, Fiyero snapped: "Silence, witch!" and aimed his weapon at Elphaba, who froze in shock: It's over. I'm going to die here and it's Fiyero who's going to kill me. Then he ordered the Gale Force to bring water; they obeyed immediately and left. Fiyero knew he wouldn't have much time before they returned.
Now it was just the two of them and the Wizard in the room. Fiyero, nearly hyperventilating, could not take his eyes off of Elphaba. He had finally found her after searching for so long...but the look on her face broke his heart. Elphaba's expressions cycled through incredulity, grief and finally a mix of resignation and defiance: When you kill me, I'll be looking directly into your eyes...and you will have to live with that for the rest of your life.
Oh, Elphaba...there's so much I need to tell you, but this is neither the time nor the place to do so. Keeping his weapon aimed at Elphaba, Fiyero moved to the Wizard and grabbed the broom. Expecting to wrench it from the Wizard's throat, he was surprised when it came away easily in his hand, as if it had been released. Fiyero looked at Elphaba in astonishment; the stony look of betrayal she gave him in return was like a stab to his heart.
He looked from the Wizard to Elphaba; there could be no turning back now...and he was going to choose her. Deliberately taking a slow, deep breath, he swung his weapon away from Elphaba and aimed it at the Wizard instead. “Get in,” he ordered the Wizard, motioning at the cage he'd just been pinned against.
Elphaba was stunned. Fiyero just committed treason and threw away his life in Oz...why? Did he do this for me? Nearly blinded by tears, she somehow managed to catch her broom when Fiyero tossed it to her before he locked the Wizard inside the cage.
They'd still not said a word to each other. About to speak, they both took a step forward...and then Glinda arrived at the top of the stairs. She took in the scene: the Wizard in the cage, Fiyero aiming his weapon at the Wizard, Elphaba standing confused, holding her broom.
“What...how...Fiyero, darling...have you lost your mind?” she gasped.
The Wizard started to tell his version of what had just happened but Fiyero ordered him to be quiet. Trusting his instincts, Fiyero closed his eyes and leapt...away from Glinda, the Gale Force, the life he'd known so far...towards Elphaba, his home.
“I'm going with her.”
All three of them—Elphaba, Glinda, the Wizard—said, “What?”
Turning his back on Glinda, Fiyero moved to Elphaba's side and said, “Let's go.”
Glinda choked out: "So all this time, the two of you have been..."
Fiyero remained silent as Elphaba replied, "No! It wasn't like that..."
Stony-faced, Glinda told them both: “Go.” Elphaba turned and left the room; Fiyero remained for a moment, trying to find something to say. Glinda spat out, “You deserve each other." With that, he followed Elphaba out.
As Fiyero caught up with Elphaba, she turned and said, "You frightened me back there, I thought you'd changed."
He took her hand and bent down so he could meet her eyes, hidden by the brim of her black hat: "I have changed."
Her expression softened a bit. Then, staring fiercely back at him she demanded: “Tell me: did you know that the Wizard was keeping Animals...including Doctor Dillamond...imprisoned in cages here?”
Fiyero, shocked, recoiled and immediately replied "No!" He took a breath and continued, “No. Believe me, I had no idea...the Gale Force's only mission was to find you.”
They quickly made their way to one of the terraces surrounding the Wizard's palace. Elphaba positioned the broom horizontally and motioned for Fiyero to sit sideways, then sat herself in front of him. Deliberately not looking at Fiyero, she instructed him, "Hold on to me, and try and shift your weight the same way as I do when I change direction. I've never carried a passenger before, so this might be a rough ride...and we probably won't be able to talk once we're flying."
She felt him wrap his arms around and lean into her as they took off. Fiyero had to close his eyes against the airstream during the climb upwards...then they stopped, bobbing gently above the city as if they were in a boat on the waterway leading to Shiz.
“Look.” He opened his eyes and marveled at the sight of the city below them outlined in what looked like thousands of tiny, shimmering lights. Oz was beautiful when viewed from above, but they both knew it was rotting from the inside. "Hold on," she said as they started to pick up speed again.
Elphaba tried to concentrate on controlling the broom's flight, but the warmth of Fiyero's body and the feel of his arms around her was a constant distraction. His extra weight made her keep their speed lower than she was used to flying, and she had to remember to not make any sudden changes in direction as she would when flying solo.
Fiyero was mesmerized by the sight of the lands below them, the feeling of flying through the air...and the sensation of holding Elphaba before him in his arms. She was so small but he could feel her strength as she fought to control the broom on their flight away from the Emerald City.