AN:

Hi there!

I started this fic a while ago and it was actually the first fic I tried writing in English (and my first Wicked fic). Somewhere in the middle or so I kinda lost my inspiration for this one and ended up writing another one instead, neglecting this story terribly. Now that I'm finished with that other story, I finally started working on this one again. I just hate to leave things unfinished. Because I like to think that I have improved a little over the past few months, I decided to give this fic a little make-over. If you have previously read this story you don't need to worry – the changes won't alter the content too much and you can simply pick up where you started ;)

HOWEVER, while going through all the old chapters and reviewing them, I realised one thing: I REALLY did try to improve this story, but because I did not completely start over from scratch, this will never be as good as it could have been if I would have completely discarded all the original text and only kept the storyline. I honestly tried, but there are plenty of cases where I would just stare at the old stuff, somewhat unsatisfied with it, but not be able to re-write it in a better way.

Hopefully I did OK with my "renovation efforts" and made this story a little better, but at the end of the day I guess it's just one of these average Fiyeraba thingingies... hope you still kinda enjoy this :)

IMPORTANT (please read!):

How this works:

This is a somewhat experimental set up and I'm aware that there are some positive aspects to it, but also some drawbacks...

* There are two versions of this fic – a Fiyero version and an Elphaba version (same title!).

* Each version will concentrate heavily on the storyline of that particular character. There will be crossovers here and there but there will also be large portions of plot that are clearly set apart.

* You can read both stories OR you can read only one. Both stories complement each other, but also make perfect sense by themselves - in worst case you might miss out on some background info and details, but that's it.

* Generally chapter 1 of the Elphaba version goes with chapter 1 of the Fiyero version and so on and so forth. Both versions will always get updated at the same time.

* While, in most cases, it does not matter which version you should read first, sometimes reading the Elphaba ver. first might be better (like for the first chapter).

I hope it's not too confusifying for you all!

The rating here is T. I am not quite sure yet, but I think that there might be some chapters will be a bit borderline. In this case I'll add an extra warning and mark the higher rated parts accordingly so you can avoid them if you prefer to do so.

UPDATE LOG:

This chapter was updated on: 31-05-2014

I expanded the beginning by about 500 words or so (pretty much the whole Elphaba/Glinda dialogue) and worked a bit on my descriptions and the expressions I used.

And now:

Happy reading! (hopefully)

xoxo MLE :3

Chapter One: Defying Gravity

Deafening hammering and pounding. A loud voice hollering orders, many more voices shouting answers in unison.

Elphaba's pulse was racing as she tried to keep the broom that was hovering between her and her wide-eyed friend steady.

"Quick," she bellowed in an almost commanding tone of voice, "get on!"

"What?!" was all Glinda was able to choke out.

This was all going much too fast for her.

But Elphaba looked deep into her sky blue eyes.

"Come on, Glinda. Think of what we could do together. We would be unlimited!"

"You mean… you and I against the Wizard?"

The blonde's voice was only little above whisper and full of uncertainty as she reluctantly laid her hands on the broomstick.

"For a better Oz," the raven-haired girl replied solemnly, pushing the unusual vehicle a little further in her direction.

Outside, the soldiers continued their work on the old, heavy door, but to Elphaba and Glinda, completely oblivious to the tumult, it almost seemed as if time was standing still.

"Look at you Elphie, you're trembling," Glinda remarked, avoiding the question at hand.

She searched her surroundings for anything useful and found a black cloth, covering a set of chairs. She let go of the broom. Then, with one quick movement, she pulled the black woollen sheet off the old furniture and draped it around Elphaba's shoulders.

"Here, put this around you."

As she spoke, nimble fingers fastened the fabric with a tight knot.

Rising to her full height and pulling back her shoulders, the girl in black looked down at her shorter friend.

"Well, are you coming?"

"To do what?" Glinda asked quietly, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around her slender frame. "To live as a fugitive? Elphie, you know I'm not cut out for this. I would be nothing but dead weight. I'd slow you down, probably getting us both caught or even killed."

Elphaba averted her eyes, struggling to keep her breathing even.

"So, even after all that we've seen and heard about the Wizard and his tyrannical rule, you still want to stand by and do nothing?" she said bitterly.

The blonde was hurt by her words, but tried not to let it show.

"Listen, Elphie. I want to help, really. But I will have to do it on my own terms, with my own methods."

"Like what?" Elphaba asked a little impatiently.

"Well," she said sheepishly, "I don't exactly know at this point.

The taller girl let out a small huff, but Glinda wrapped her arms around her friend and held her tightly.

"You just have to trust me Elphie. Do you think you can do that? Do you think you can trust me?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded before placing a tender kiss on the blonde's forehead.

"I do, my sweet. I trust you."

"Thank you, Elphie."

For a brief moment they clung to each other, relishing the feeling of closeness, until reality came, quite literally, crushing down on them and the door separating them and the Wizard's men almost burst under the constant strain from the battering ramikin.

Glinda returned her attention to the old broom.

"Do you think this will really work?" she questioned worriedly and Elphaba responded with a weak smile and a shrug.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

The blonde found this answer to be neither comforting, nor particularly assuring, however, if Elphaba was not willing to stay and submit to the Wizard's will, they were fresh out of alternative options.

"Ozspeed, Elphie. I devoutly hope that this won't be our final farewell, but you really have to go now. May the path you're taking bring you bliss. Make it count and no regrets"

"Thank you Glinda. I wish you the same. Help if you can, but… I… I want you to be happy."

She gave the shorter girl's shoulder an encouraging squeeze before silently retreating into the shadows.

The old wooden door squeaked one last time and gave in, shattering into thousands of tiny fragments. Armed guards rushed in, spotted the scared girl on the other side of the room and darted towards her.

"Let go of me, do you hear!"

From her hidden lookout Elphaba watched them roughly grabbing her friend's arms, inevitably cringing at the thought of their filthy paws on the soft pastel skin. The blonde's shrieks were shrill and piercing and it was incredibly hard for her to just stand by and watch, but she had to wait for the right moment. Hopefully Glinda would no longer be their target once she had escaped – if her attempt at escaping would indeed be successful that was.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pulled her pointy hat down a bit more, so that the wide brim concealed most of her face. Her hands were shaking a little as she swung one leg over the handle of the old broom, riding it like a stick horse. Truth be told, she really had no idea how this was supposed to work. All she could hope for was that she would find out sooner, rather than later.

"Here goes nothing," she whispered under her breath as she kicked herself off the ground with as much strength as she could master.

She had been prepared for a few failed attempts and certainly did not expect for it to work right at the first try, but it somehow did and she could barely believe it when she started rising up, high into the air. She did her best to ignore the incredible, fluttery feeling that was building up in the pit of her stomach; after all, this was not the time or the place.

As she rose higher, she soon left the protecting shadows behind. Knowing that they would easily be able to spot her, she gathered every ounce of courage she possessed, readying herself for her pre-emptive strike.

"It's not her, she has nothing to do with it," she yelled as she levitated over the heads of the puzzled men in green and golden uniform. "I'm the one you want. It's me!"

Her entrance surely had the desired effect, for the guards holding the blonde girl let go of their captive and stared to the ceiling of the room in utter bewilderment and fear. Elphaba stared back at them with a similar mixture of astonishment and panic that made her stomach churn.

Then a sudden wave of pride and confidence overcame her. She pulled back her shoulders, took both hands off the broomstick, spreading her arms like wings and shouted: "This is my chance to fly! I'll fly free across the skies of Oz and nobody will ever catch me and bring me down. Do you hear me? Nobody! Send the Wizard my regards!"

She knew she would not have much time before one of the guards would regain their composure and try to shoot her down like a hunter the fowl.

Once more her eyes sought out her friend who gazed up to her in return. The petite girl's lips seemed to form the words 'Good luck'.

Glinda would be fine, Elphaba told herself, repeating the words over and over in her head, like a mantra. And of course she would be. With her silver tongue and sweet smile Glinda always found ways to make the best out of any situation she found herself in.

A sad smile flashed over Elphaba's face as she swung around her broom, heading for a window at the very top of the dark room. The opening was narrow; very narrow indeed, but it was the only way out. She clung to the broomstick, making herself as small as possible and concentrated on aiming right at the middle of the window. It hurt slightly as her shoulder bumped into the frame and her black dress tore a little when a lappet got caught on a rusty nail, but she made it through and escaped the Emerald Palace.

As her broom carried her away, she heard shots echoing through the night sky and she found herself praying once more that Glinda really would be alright. Some dogs were barking and deep down on the ground she noticed lights being turned back on. The sound of an alarm bell rang and the city below her came back to live, buzzing with an excited crowd.

Under other circumstances she would have been thrilled by the cool breeze in her face and this feeling of freedom and near weightlessness. The Emerald City below her was a mesmerizing sight, even more beautiful from high up than from the ground. But these thoughts barely crossed her mind as her only concern was to escape and find an appropriate hideout.

When the first targeted bullets came flying her way, she knew that she had been discovered. She climbed up a little higher, out of the rounds' reach, but if she wanted to be sure to survive the night, she would also have to fly much faster and as far as she possibly could.

She avoided travelling in a straight line for too long and added loops every now and then in order to shake off anyone who might still be following her. Her eyes kept scanning the ground for any structure or landscape that could help her to disappear.

After a one-hour flight, she spotted a dense forest. Elphaba smiled at vast sea of dark green opening up in front of her. This was most likely the best hideaway she would come across before the sun began to rise in the east. At least for the next day or two it would serve her well enough.

She steered her broom downwards, flying closer to the ground. Although she was sure that nobody had followed her this far, she navigated around the trees in circles, turning left or right in random patterns; just to be safe. After a while even she had lost track of what direction she was actually flying in.

Now that she felt relatively save, the tension gradually eased off. Elphaba noticed how she grew less alert and her eyelids became heavier and heavier with every passing moment. Her eyes closed for merely a clock tick, but it was long enough for her to lose control over her broom and collide with a tree.