Yes, yes, I know I have others to update, but when the muse calls, you can't deny her (at least not for longer than three days. Otherwise it's gone). So here is this! I got the idea suddenly the other day and felt it deserved to be a one chapter. Basically, if I had tried to split it up, it would never get finished. It was pointed out to me that this isn't so much a trigger as a mention, but it might still be hard so I marked it. And, as always, please R&R if you enjoy, which I very much hope you do! ~bwayfan
Warning: mentions of suicide and murder
"I call to Order this Emergency meeting of the Leaders of Oz," Madame Morrible announced. The snickering crowd fell silent at the bang of her gavel. "Now. I apologize for calling this meeting at such short notice, but I am afraid a new problem has arisen in our great Oz. That is why I, the Wizard's Press Secretary, have decided that the you, the prominent leaders of the Ozian provinces, must badn together to fight this new threat."
"Do you have the real story of what happened?" shouted a small old man wearing a monocle.
"Yes. Two days ago, a young woman of hideous complexion, a traitor to Munchkinland and to all of Oz, staged an attempted assassination on the Wizard himself. When she did not succeed, she cursed the Wizard's poor monkeys and ran off into the night."
Snickering began again. Madame Morrible raised her hands and the crowd hushed.
"Now. We must stand together to fight of this... this Wicked Witch. Now. In order to do that, we need your signatures to decree this Wicked Witch to be the Grand Enemy of the State. Miss Galinda Upland, Heroine of Oz and crowned Princess of the Emerald City,is passing out a copy of the decree you will sign."
"What happens if we don't sign it?" a middle aged woman in a dark green dress asked as she stood.
"We will... discuss the matter privately."
Voices rose again, growing louder as the province representatives began debating the pros and cons of signing the decree.
Madame Morrible stepped away from the lectern she spoke from.
"Miss Galinda, would you like to meet the province representatives?" Madame Morrible asked as she approached Galinda, who stood nervously at the left edge of the stage.
"Well, uh, yes, I guess," she laughed nervously and straightened the beret on her head.
Madame Morrible gave her a smile that didn't quite extend to her eyes and placed an arm around Galinda's shoulders.
"These are the Vinkan representatives. Lord Weitda of the Old Vinkus and King and Queen Tiggelar of the Vinkus. I believe you know their son, who as you know, has been called away by ," Morrible gave a small bow, which Glinda followed.
"Yes, I do. I, uh, I am Miss Galinda Upland... of the Upper Uplands," Glinda stated with another bow.
"Ah yes. Miss Upland. Fiyero has told us so much about you," the Queen answered with a smile.
"Uh, thank you, Your Majesty," Glinda whispered, before inclining her head slightly and allowing Morrible to move her along.
"I believe you know your father, Highmuster Upland of Frottica in the Upper Uplands. There's also the Honorable Captain Winton Maska of the Uplands and Lady Gwendolia Richerad of the Perth Hills."
Highmunster Upland rose to his feet to hug his daughter. Glinda tried to pay attention to his introductions but she couldn't. The next province representative had caught her eye.
"And here is Miss Nessarose Thropp of Colwen Grounds. I thi-" Madame Morrible stopped mid-sentence as a tall blonde haired man in a guard uniform appeared and whispered something in her ear. "Oh yes. Right away. Uh, I'm sorry dear. I must run."
She turned and followed the young man out of the hall. Glinda turned back to Nessa.
"Nessa? What are you doing here?" Glinda asked as she took a seat next to Nessa. "Nessa? Nessa?"
"What?" Nessa snapped out of her trance. "Oh. Hello Miss Glinda. I'm sorry. I... Uh... How are you?"
"Nessa are you okay?"
Glinda knew the answer was no but felt she should ask anyways.
Nessa's headband was not it's usual pink but had been replaced with a black one. Her eyes were puffy and red. She wore a long belted tunic, leggings, and strips of fabric wound around her calves (a traditional Munchkinland outfit), which, like her headband, were all black except for the fabric around her calves, which was navy blue. It reminded Glinda of a conversation she had had with Elphaba so long ago.
"I hate Founder's Day because of, you know, the founders and founding of Munchkinland and how it happened. But it's the one day a year where we are required to wear our traditional attire, which means it's the one day a year in which my status in Munchkinland must be properly recognized by law."
"How?"
"These. We call them wraps. You get a different color based on your status. The general population can wear whatever color they like, except for blue or white. Blue signifies a person in government; the darker shade of blue the higher power. White is the color of someone important without any power, like veterans or heads of family or Nessa or myself. I don't ask for much, but it is sometimes nice to actually be recognized for my true position."
Then it clicked.
"You're the governor now. Aren't you?" Glinda blurted before she could think of the words.
"I... My father...my-my father..." Nessa took a shaky breath, tears streaming down her cheeks. "My father died late last night. I was sworn in very early this morning."
"Oh Nessa. I'm so sorry."
"I don't know what's going to happen now," Nessa said. Her eyes were saucers now, and her hands were shaking so hard that she dropped her pen. "My-my father is dead and my s-s-sister is gone and I-I-I d-don't know what I'm going to do."
"You're going to lead your people."
"I'm not ready," Nessa whispered. "I'll never be ready. This isn't right."
"Yes it is. You studied this in college. You have the knowledge you need. You will do fine."
"Why did Elphaba leave? What happened that night? Please. Tell me. I need to know," Nessa pleaded, her voice so low that Glinda could barely hear it. "You were with her. I know you were. She never left your side. What could have happened that made her do this?"
"I... I can't tell you. It's... It's..."
"It's against the law," Nessa finished for her.
"Nessa, I want to tell you. I really do. But..."
"I know. I know. But she loved you. And you loved her. You two were inseparable. You know this isn't like her. They're lies."
"Nessa, I cannot help you."
"C-can you at least tell me if what Madame Morrible said is true?" Nessa asked. "Did she... did she really try to kill the Wizard?"
"No. She didn't try to kill the Wizard," Glinda said, rising from her chair. "And that's all I can say. Now. If you'll excuse me, I have to meet the representatives of the South."
"There aren't any," Nessa sniffed. Glinda looked at her. She was twisting the end of her tunic. "The South consists of the Quadling people who have no government or any recognized leader. I am the closest thing to a leader the South has. We have always been on good terms."
"Huh. Well then I have to go speak with the representatives from the Emerald City," Glinda replied stiffly.
She turned slightly and waved to Madame Morrible, who had just returned to the hall. Morrible smiled and returned.
"Ah. Hello Miss Thropp," Morrible greeted with a wry smile.
"Madame Morrible, could you please point me to the Emerald City Representatives?" Glinda asked quickly.
"Why yes. Over there dear," Morrible pointed to a green table-clothed table.
Without another word, Glinda turned on her heel and made her way to the table. Morrible and Nessa watched her go, before Morrible turned back to Nessa.
"I am so sorry to hear about your father, Miss Thropp. It was so unexpected. Do they know what all happened?"
"Yes ma'am. And it wasn't expected. Not for him. I, uh, found him. Late last night. Slumped over at the desk in his study. He, well... He named her in the note. Said she had been a disappointment for so long and this was the last straw. Said he'd never recover from the shame," Nessa concluded.
"Oh my poor dear. So you are the governor now?"
Nessa nodded. Her hands twitched towards the fabric wrapped around her legs.
"There is a law in Munchkinland that gives only one hour for a new governor to be sworn in. The citizens must not be trusted on their own any longer, though I doubt they even knew he had died before I was sworn in."
"Well..." Madame Morrible looked around awkwardly before lighting up at the wave of someone far away. "I must run dear. Take care of yourself."
"Madame Morrible, wait. Can... can you tell me what happens if I don't sign this?"
"Oh it's very simple, dear," Morrible dropped her voice and put on the most vindictive smile she could. "It's treason."
Nessa sat back in her chair.
"Can I at least sleep on it?"
"Of course, dear. But we must have an answer from you by the end of the summit."
Later
In Nessarose's Quarters:
Nessa lay awake, hopelessly fighting the hundreds of thoughts swimming through her head.
You should do it for the people you serve.
No! She is your sister and you love her.
It is treason not to sign it.
Do you love her enough to commit treason?
Hot tears continuously flowed down her cheeks. Every so often, she'd pull a corner of her quilt up to her eyes to dry them.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Nessa sat up so fast she became momentarily dizzy.
"Wha- Who-who's there?"
"It's Boq," a muffled voice called out.
"Boq?" Nessa repeated, confused. "It's, uh, it's unlocked."
There was a clicking as Boq opened the door and stepped into the dark room.
"May I turn on the light?"
"Yes," Nessa replied, shielding her eyes as Boq fired up a lamp nearby.
"I'm sorry it's so late. I took the fastest train here, but there was a lot of difficulty getting out of Munchkinland," Boq informed. Nessa noddded.
"Yes. I'm sorry. My advisers shut down a lot of the routes in and of Munchkinland in... well, in fear of Elphaba returning by train. Why they think that is a possibility is beyond me."
Boq let out a small laugh as he glanced around the room.
"You know, I've never been to the Emerald City before. It's a lot nicer than I expected. And that's saying something."
"I've never been either," Nessa nodded before sighing. "Boq, why did you come?"
"Miss Glinda sent for me. She said you needed me."
"That's never been a good enough reason before," Nessa muttered, examining her hands.
"I know, " Boq stated. "But you do need me. Don't you?"
Nessa shook her head "no", though a fresh set of tears had begun to flow down her cheeks.
"Yes. I... I need someone. And I'd definitely prefer that someone to be you," Nessa said as she wiped her eyes.
"Then here I am," Boq announced, placing his beaten suitcase on the second bed. "Would you like some tea?"
"You go ahead. I need to sleep."
"Yes, Madame Governor," Boq joked. "Do you like that? Should I call you madame from now on? How about I bow?"
Nessa smiled a bit as Boq bowed so low that his nose nearly touched the ground. As he straightened again, he smiled back before turning and busying himself with the kettle.
Nessa rolled over in her bed, smiling to herself. The pervasive thoughts were back as soon as she closed her eyes though, and soon her internal war had begun anew. but this time it seemed focus on one thought:
Do you love her enough to commit treason?
Long after Boq had had his tea and prepared for bed did she finally get an answer, though it in itself was another question:
Surely she would have done the same for you. So why hasn't she come yet?
In Fiyero and Glinda's Quarters:
Glinda sat on her bed waiting. Carefully, she removed the pins holding her beret on her head.
As she did so, the door handle turned.
"What was it, dear? What did they say?"
Fiyero collapsed onto the sofa, his hand rubbing back and forth across his forehead and chin. After a few minutes of tense silence, he exhaled loudly.
"They want me to be the Captain of the Guard."
"What?" Glinda exclaimed, dashing across the room to join him.
"Yes. They say because... because she considered me a friend that I am the best man for the job. I'll have fifteen men at my command. We start our strategum planning next week."
"Oh Fiyero! That's wonderful!" Glinda smiled broadly.
"Wonderful?" Fiyero asked. He sat up. "You think this is wonderful?"
"Yes. It is."
"You think it's wonderful that I am supposed to track down your best friend? You think it's wonderful that my job is to find her and kill her?" Fiyero repeated. Glinda straightened into a more politically advantageous posture.
"Yes. I'd much rather you find her than someone who doesn't know her. Think about how people treated her when she was with us at school. Now imagine those same people with the ability to kill her. They wouldn't try to reason with her, or give her a chance to explain, but we could," GLinda said softly, rubbing her hand up and down Fiyero's arm. "Fiyero, we love her more than the entire world combined. Can't you see how you finding her is the best way to ensure we get her back safely?"
Fiyero closed his eyes. His breathing was slow and even.
"I see your point," he paused, opening his eyes. "How was the summit?"
"There were good parts' GLinda admitted after a couple seconds thought. "I saw father and met some important people. And I Nessa. She's the governor of Munchkinland now."
"Damn. Her sister and now her father. Anything we can do for her? Do you know?"
"I was kind of stern with her. Probably best not."
"Oz, Glinda. What did you do? The girl's in mourning. Or does the fact that Elphaba is now a fugitive on the run mean anything to you?" Fiyero asked. He stood up and stormed to the bar where he began mixing himself a drink.
"Bother me? Bother me? How dare you. Do you know what they're making me sign in there Fiyero? They are making me sign her into being the Grand Enemy of the State. Look. Read this," Glinda ordered, shoving the folded decree into his hand.
This law, set forward by the Wizard himself, decrees Elphaba Ameya Thropp of Munchkinland to be henceforth referred to as The Grand Enemy of the State or The Wicked Witch of the West. As well, any descriptions of the night of her disappearance must be agreed upon by the Office of the Press Secretary. It is also agreed that if the signer or any person under their leadership comes into contact with this abhorrence they either 1) capture and report the capture to the Wizard's Guards or 2) use any and all means necessary to put an end to this threat. Permanently.
I agree with this statement above and all it's constituents:
"You can't sign this," Fiyero stated. He handed the page back to her. "You just can't."
"Fiyero I have no choice. I either sign it or I get tried for treason."
"Then get tried for treason. I'll do it too, as I'm sure that's coming for me next. We'll escape. Just like she did," Fiyero took her hands in his. "We can find her that way. We can all run off and be together, fighting against the Wizard."
"I...I can't. I can't do that," Glinda whispered. Fiyero dropped her hands.
They stared at each other for a while, before Fiyero turned away. He sat again for a few moments, before heading towards the door. Silently, he pulled his coat off the rack.
"I'd ask why, but I know why. You're too happy telling everyone how wonderful everything is. Well, I certainly hope this turns out wonderfully for the rest of us too."
He pulled on his coat and without another word, he disappeared out the door and into the night.