Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked or any of the Wicked characters.

This is my first Wicked fanfic, so any feedback is much appreciated! My ideas about Glinda's thoughts after Elphie left her in the Emerald City. Sorry if Glinda seems a little Out of character! Enjoy and please review!

The Winter of Discontent

I thought I knew you as well as anything, everything. All your feelings, your ambitions, nothing in you I couldn't see. Now I realise how you must have kept yourself from me, how I didn't really understand you at all.

You're not here anymore so how can I talk to you? Ask why you just left, without warning, without any consideration for our feelings. You can't speak to someone who isn't there, so I suppose I can't ask you. I can't send you this letter either because I don't have an address. I don't know where you are, you just sent me back to Shiz and with a hug and a kiss, and you were gone. Are you still in the Emerald City? I suppose not, it would be far too dangerous, now.

There's no real point in writing this, is there? You'll never read it.

This winters beautiful, don't you think? I can sit for hours and gaze out of the window, watching the individual snowflakes dance and twirl until out of view, another one lost forever. If I wrap my arms around myself tight, it keeps the heat in. It helps stop the pain and anguish from showing, from overflowing in the form of high pitched wails that will never stop. But you'll come back soon won't you? It's not like your gone for good is it? Of course not. You'd never do that to me.

You need to say you're sorry. The wizard will be forgiving and you can work together to make Oz good again. You must, you're becoming more hated by the day! Their calling you a wicked witch, don't you understand!?

The dorm is lonely without you. I never noticed how important and comforting it was, to just have you there reading a book about something or other, while I could talk to you. Did you ever listen to me? Your bed is made neatly with the corner folded down, so you can get straight into it when you come back. I dusted your shelves, by the way. I know it's only been three weeks, but a layer of dust was sat upon the books and I knew you wouldn't like that one bit.

I'm sure you wouldn't have left if you knew I'd be this upset, would you? You didn't want me to be this hurt, did you? You were too good that way, not wicked. Not like everyone's saying.

I don't think Nessa will forgive you when you come back. She keeps on saying that you've disgraced the family and can never be Eminent Thropp. Everyone's disagreeing with her though, and you can too when you come back. You've really upset her, as well. Why are you putting the people that love you through this torture?

Fiyero took the news pretty hard too. He was waiting at the station for you to return. He said for both of us, but it was mainly for you. It was obvious he liked you, didn't you notice? So he took me back, a silent carriage ride, I can tell you, isn't very enjoyable. Although you would have probably liked it, the peace and the quiet? He locked himself up for days after that, only coming out when the need for food became unbearable. Almost as bad as me.

Almost.

We all went to the Ozdust Ballroom last week. Well, not all of us, obviously, you weren't there. That horrid boy, Avaric was there, and tried to take advantage of my 'depression', as Boq said. But I'm not even depressed! Why would I be? Anyway, you'll come back soon. So I slapped him, hard. You would have been proud! You've done that to him before as well, haven't you? I think I recall that.

You need to come back soon; it's too dangerous for anyone to be out alone in the world, especially you. You pretend to be strong and independent, but I know you better than anyone. You need a companion. You need me. So why did you leave without explanation? You need someone you can trust. People pretend to be nice but they are trouble, they try and persuade you to do good and be a good person, when they can't even do that for themselves. They all wear masks to lure you into a false sense of security, but they will use it against you! Understand that they are bad!

How did we become friends again? And how did we become so close after that? I don't think I remember. I remember talking to Pfannee and Shen-Shen about you, even when we were friends. I regretted it then and I do now. Though I never considered myself lucky, I didn't realise how lucky I had been until you left.

It's cosy in here, and peaceful, I can only hear my own breathing and (of course) those loud girls from downstairs. You never liked them did you? I remember when we first got put in a dorm together, how angry I'd been and how you only cared about what was best for Nessa. You never thought of yourself. On the way to the Emerald City, you never slept while I did. Why? Did you want me to feel safe? That sounds like you. I loved the content feeling I got when you would fall asleep with your head on my shoulder, when I tried to look out for you, as you did for me. But I couldn't. I guess I'm not as strong as I like to think.

If you opened the door right now, you would see me, curled upon my bed, attempting once more to write a letter which you will never receive. It is dark and the curtains are drawn to make sure no light can enter the peaceful darkness of which I live. It helps. It's probably teatime by now, but I'm not hungry. I don't want to stray outside, why would I when I can stay right here in our room? Away from prying eyes. I'm better off here where I am, looking at the closed curtains, longing to see the snow again, and to see you running back to this building, face barely visible under the amount of woolly fabrics you resided in during the winter months. There, you see! You have to come back! You left your coat and scarf. How will you survive the winter without your coat and scarf? You haven't done before.

Elphie, come back and make everything good again.