Glinda searched the party fervently.
"Where could he have gone?" she wondered to herself. She was finding it difficult to push through the crowd. It would be if you were the center of everyone's attention, which she was.
"Glinda! Such an honor!" "We are all so proud of you." Said the people crowding around her. "The Wizard is the one who is lucky. To have an Ali such as you."
"Thank you everyone, I really appreciate it," she said, halfheartedly. If only she could get away for a moment…
"Oh, I am stupid," she thought to herself. She quietly raised her wand and uttered a few enchantments. The people around her froze, as if in shock. Glinda quickly stepped around them behind a tree, waved her wand once more, and no one would know where she had gone.
She disappeared into the cornfield next to the party grounds. It was the only place she hadn't looked.
But why would Fiyero leave right then? He was supposed to be there, to be the man on her arm, completing her success. She was beautiful, honored by the wizard, and engaged to one of the most hansom men in all of Oz. But where was he? It was not like him to wander off. (He was usually the life of the party.) But today, of all days, he was not acting like himself.
Trudging through the dirt, she finally found him amidst the stalks. He was standing in the middle of the field staring up at the sky, his officer's uniform bright under the setting sun.
"Oh!" she cried out, "There you are! I thought I had lost you!"
He turned to see who it was and his face fell.
"You haven't lost me," he stated.
"Why not come back to the celebration?" she asked, taking his arm. His face showed no change in disappointment, his gaze returning to the sky.
"Why are you not talking to me? Why are you ignoring me?"
"I'm not ignoring you."
What? Of course he was ignoring her! Every time she tried to speak with him at the party he walked away.
Glinda looked up at the sky, wondering what was distracting him. It was bright, and burned her eyes. Why was he looking towards the setting sun? What could he possibly want to see that is West…
"Talk to me," she demanded. Glinda was not usually one to be harsh, but this was something that needed to be addressed.
Fiyero pulled his arm away, facing her.
He sighed. "I just think this isn't going to work out."
Glinda's heartbeat quickened. "What are you saying?"
"I really like you," Fiyero began. It was strange, as if he had rehearsed this in his head many times. "But I don't think marrying you will fix our problems."
Problems? Yes, there were problems. She was too clingy. Whenever they were together she felt the need to talk. She never let him around other girls, for fear he would find one he liked more than her. She complained to him every time he went out without her, questioning everything he did…
"But I want to fix the problems we have. I want to work things out. Together."
Her heart was silently pleading with him not to do this. Their engagement was for political reasons, but…she may have fallen in love with him. She had never really been close to any of her male friends, so he was the closest thing she ever had to true love. And now he wanted to end it.
"Glinda, I really like you. But this whole marriage thing? I don't think it will work."
She sighed. There was no use in fighting it. If he wanted to end it who was she to force him into something he didn't want? She cared too much about him to keep him from happiness.
"You know I don't want to," she stated.
"I know," was all he said. "But I'm going to meet other people, and I just don't see this working out."
There was nothing to do, nothing to say, to change what was happening. Glinda knew that. She had seen this coming for a while now. She just hadn't realized it until that moment that her mind was preparing her for it. Now that she was there, it seemed only natural.
She looked up into his face, feeling the need to say something to him. "I hate you. And I probably will for a while."
Why wasn't she in tears, begging for him not to leave her? Why was this so easy? Maybe because, deep down, she was okay with it.
"That's fine." Bull shit.
She gave a quick sigh, and stepped forward to hold him, one last time. To her pleasant surprise he wrapped his arms around her, and, unexpectedly, kissed her on the top of her head. It was just like their regular good bye.
"He does care," she thought to herself. "But then…never mind. Too many questions."
After a final moment, she let go and stepped back.
"I'll see you," Glinda said, turning around to walk away.
"Wait," he said. It came from nowhere, and made her heart leap for a second.
"Yes?" What was he going to say? Was he second guessing this breakup?
"Can you not tell anyone about this, yet?" he requested. "I kind of need to cover my ass for a while."
"Yes, I can do that." She paused. "You're still an ass, you know."
He smiled. "When was that ever a question?"
It was almost too amusing. But that was it. Their relationship was over. For better or for worse, it was for good.
